Puerto Rico – Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan investigated a deadly human smuggling conspiracy in Puerto Rico that led to the sentence of a Dominican national to nine years in prison and three years of supervised release.
HSI San Juan Special Agent in Charge Rebecca González-Ramos said, “HSI stands firm in our commitment to uphold justice and protect the vulnerable. Human smugglers have no respect for human lives, none; for them, it’s a money business. It is important for the non-citizens to understand that the smuggling trips represent a risk of death, is not worth anybody’s life. This sentencing serves as a reminder to criminal organizations that law enforcement agencies are all standing united in the fight against such inhumane actions to ensure that no more lives are lost to greed and criminality."
Alcibades De Paz, 34, was one of the individuals at the helm of a vessel carrying non-citizens, including a three-year-old boy, from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. The defendant operated the vessel during the human smuggling venture. When the vessel stopped functioning, the defendant aided in starting the engine and holding the throttle of the outboard engine of the boat towards the shore of Rincón, Puerto Rico, while evading law enforcement’s attempts to safely intercept the vessel. On Dec. 23, 2022, the vessel capsized as it reached the shoreline, leading to the death of a three-year-old child who was illegally being smuggled to the United States.
On Aug. 27, De Paz pleaded guilty to one count of bringing certain non-citizens into the United States, resulting in death.
Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico; and HSI San Juan Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Gonzalez-Ramos made the announcement.
HSI San Juan investigated this case, with assistance from the Puerto Rico Police Bureau’s Joint Forces of Rapid Action and U.S. Border Patrol, Ramey Sector.
Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina M. Agrait-Barreto for the District of Puerto Rico prosecuted the case.
The investigation was conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks, or present grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.
Members of the public with information about criminal activity in your community are encouraged to contact the HSI San Juan Communications Center at 787-729-6969.
Learn more about HSI’s mission to increase public safety in your community on X, formerly known as Twitter, at @HSISanJuan.