Five individuals from Florida were arrested on state human smuggling charges Monday following a federal law enforcement operation.
The suspects, identified as Humberto Tamayo, 48, Omar Livan Ripoll Perez, 28, Dianelys Perez Escourido, 44, all from Miami; Joel Gil Egued, 48, from Cape Coral; and Victor Victor Febales Gualpa, 38, from West Palm Beach, each face 20 felony counts of human smuggling.
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U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Customs and Border Protection Office of Air and Marine agents stopped and detained the suspects in Florida City, Florida following their investigation in which 20 foreign nationals — 10 male Ecuadorian nationals, three female Ecuadorian nationals, five female Chinese nationals, and two male Chinese nationals — landed via boat off County Road 905 in Key Largo, Florida on Sunday.
The group consisted of 10 male and three female Ecuadorian nationals, along with five female and two male Chinese nationals.
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Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay highlighted the local response following the federal decision not to file charges, stating, “The Sheriff’s Office was notified that the U.S. Attorney’s Office was not filing charges, so we consulted with the State Attorney’s Office and elected to proceed with state charges related to human smuggling. The Sheriff’s Office and the State Attorney’s Office do not condone criminal behavior and will always work to hold people accountable.”
The Florida City Police Department also provided assistance in the case.
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