According to the Monroe County Sheriffs Office, 32 Cuban migrants were discovered in a traffic stop at U.S. 1 Marathon on Monday morning.
According to the department, a sheriff's office sergeant stopped a truck that was renting a boat and noticed it was going slower than the speed limit.
Four adults and three children were found inside the truck. According to the sheriff's office, the children were aged 1, 4, and 5. They weren't wearing car seats or seat belts. A strong body odor and saltwater smell was also noticed by the sergeant.
What about in the boat?
According to the sheriff's office, there were more than twenty-five people hiding in the room at the bow of the boat. A 17-year old girl and two pregnant women were among those discovered.
Reidel Garcia Espino, 29, a driver of the truck from Sefner, Florida was charged with child neglect for not having the children restrained. Garcia-Espino claimed that they went fishing, but the sheriff's office found no gear in the boat.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection and Homeland Security Investigations Agents, Key Colony Beach Police and Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission Officers responded.
U.S. Customs and Border Protection took the suspected migrants into custody
The Keys Border Patrol has had a busy few weeks. A group of 17 Cubans arrived on Smathers Beach, Key West, Sunday morning. One Key West resident caught the landing with his cellphone camera.
On Sunday, four Cuban migrants arrived in Bahia Honda State Park, near Big Pine Key. This park is approximately 36 miles north from Key West.
A group of 13 Cuban migrants arrived in Big Pine Key on Thursday and were taken into custody
The rate of maritime migration from Cuba to South Florida has increased significantly this year. Federal officials track migration based on the fiscal year. This is October.
The Coast Guard reported that it stopped 49 Cubans trying to cross the Florida Straits in fiscal 2020.
According to the Coast Guard, it was just shyly 840 people in fiscal year 2021.
