KEY LARGO, Fla. – A boat captain faces federal human-smuggling charges after customs agents found 11 people from three different countries below the deck of his boat, which ran out of gas off the Florida Keys, according to a criminal complaint.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were conducting a routine patrol Sunday when they spotted the disabled boat drifting about 2 miles from Tavernier.
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According to the complaint, officers saw two people carrying gas cans approach the boat on their Jet Skis.
Officers said that when boarded the boat, they found 11 passengers below deck, including two children. Authorities said six Jamaicans, four Haitians and one Bahamian were on board.
According to the complaint, boat captain Richard Mork admitted to picking up the passengers in Bimini, Bahamas, with the intent to smuggle them into the U.S., but he ran out of fuel and asked two people on Jet Skis to bring him some.
