CORAL GABLES, Fla. – Nearly two dozen migrants are in federal custody after Coral Gables police disrupted a suspected human smuggling operation Friday morning, authorities said.
Officers responded to reports of suspicious activity near the Snapper Creek Canal, where a witness believed they saw a kidnapping in progress.
“A very alert security professional at one of our homeowners associations observed an abduction in progress,” Coral Gables Police Chief Edward Hudak explained.
10 a.m. report:
A be-on-the-lookout alert led officers to locate a U-Haul van and a tan Toyota near the 6700 block of LeJeune Road.
Inside the U-Haul authorities said they discovered 21 migrants, including individuals from China, Ecuador, Cuba, and Brazil.
Dashcam video obtained by Local 10 News captured the moment an officer arrived at the scene.
The migrants, described as “tired but in good condition,” were loaded into a city trolley for processing and medical evaluation, Hudak said.
The migrants were put in a Coral Gables trolley to be treated and assessed by officers, including agents with U.S. Border Patrol.
Four suspects, including a woman seen handcuffed on the scene, could face charges related to the operation, according to investigators.
Authorities are working to determine whether the case constitutes human trafficking.
They have also not released the identities of the suspected smugglers.