Captain gets 14 years for fatal smuggling trip

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) -- The captain of a Haitian smuggling voyage that ended when the boat capsized, killing at least nine people, has been sentenced to 14 years and four months in prison.

U.S. District Judge Kenneth Mara sentenced 40-year-old Jimmy Metellus on Friday.

Survivors of the May 2009 sinking testified they had been promised a safe and comfortable journey. Instead, more than 25 people were crammed onto the boat. It lost power and capsized off the South Florida coast.

Another man running the voyage, 33-year-old Jean Morange Nelson, was sentenced Thursday to 13 years in prison.

The judge explained that Metellus, as captain, had a great responsibility for the condition and safety of the boat.

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Information from: The Palm Beach Post

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