19 Members Of Alleged Human Smuggling Ring Charged In San Diego

SAN DIEGO, CA — Nineteen members of an alleged human smuggling ring that prosecutors say illegally transported dozens of migrants into the United States, mostly via personal watercraft, have been charged in San Diego federal court, it was announced Wednesday.

The defendants are accused in a "long-running conspiracy" that often involved moving migrants from Mexico and dropping them off in San Diego coastal areas such as Sunset Cliffs, Bird Rock and Imperial Beach, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office. Migrants were charged between $7,000 and $16,000 per person to be smuggled, according to prosecutors.

After bringing the migrants into the United States, drivers allegedly transported them to Los Angeles, Santa Barbara or Las Vegas, among other U.S. locations.

Of the 19 people charged, nine were arrested last week "at ports of entry or elsewhere in San Diego during a multi-agency enforcement effort," the U.S. Attorney's Office said. The arrested defendants were identified as residents of Tijuana, Tecate and Nayarit, Mexico.

The operation that led to the nine arrests also involved search warrants served at stash houses in San Diego and Los Angeles that yielded seizures of over $100,000 in cash and ammunition.

"Human smuggling cases are a top priority because lives are at stake," San Diego U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath said in a statement. "Whether racing a jet ski up the coast without lifejackets or hauling a tractor trailer packed with people, smugglers expose vulnerable migrants to extreme danger and prioritize profit over human life."

— City News Service