ST. LUCIE COUNTY, Fla. — Multiple undocumented migrants were taken into custody, and 370 pounds of cocaine were confiscated after a multi-agency operation last weekend in St. Lucie County, deputies announced.
These details were released Friday after WPTV reported earlier this week that some experts are calling for immigration reform after four migrant boats were stopped on the Treasure Coast and in Palm Beach County recently.
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Law enforcement received "credible intelligence" on Aug. 29 that indicated a group had rented an Airbnb in Fort Pierce and was allegedly planning to travel to the Bahamas to retrieve narcotics and smuggle migrants into the U.S., according to a post on the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office Facebook page.
In the early morning hours of Aug. 30, deputies said at about 5:30 a.m., two suspect vessels were spotted departing the Fort Pierce Inlet.
Later in the day, the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), in coordination with the St. Lucie County Sheriff's Office, Port St Lucie Police Department, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Air and Marine Operations (AMO), Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), and the Florida Highway Patrol (FHP, executed a "coordinated interdiction operation" that targeted the vessels.
The sheriff's office said the smuggling operation also included counter-surveillance teams actively patrolling the North and South Beach areas of Fort Pierce Inlet.
Investigators also said that they learned that a third vessel was involved, with all three boats reportedly returning from the Bahamas toward Fort Pierce Inlet.
Upon approaching the inlet, CBP, AMO and the FWC intercepted the three vessels — a 42-foot Contender, a 36-foot Grady White and an estimated 33–35-foot Intermarine vessel.
"The Contender and Grady White vessels complied and stopped," the sheriff's office said. "However, the Intermarine vessel attempted to flee. CBP AMO agents responded by disabling the vessel, successfully stopping its escape."
After securing the vessels at sea, investigators said three individuals conducting counter-surveillance on land were taken into custody.
Arrested in the case included:
- 30 Chinese nationals, all believed to be undocumented, who were discovered on board, including two minors
- 5 Bahamian men, all possibly undocumented, were taken into custody from the vessels
- 3 Bahamian men allegedly involved in countersurveillance were arrested on land
About 370 pounds of cocaine was also seized in the case, according to the sheriff's office.
All of the people taken into custody were turned over to federal authorities.
The Chinese nationals interdicted at sea were turned over to the Coast Guard and expected to be repatriated to their country of origin without entering the U.S., deputies said.
"We won't tolerate criminals using our shores as their pathway," St. Lucie County Sheriff Richard Del Toro said in the Facebook post. "Our county will not be a gateway for criminal enterprises. I'm proud of the teamwork and tenacity shown by all the local, state, and federal agencies involved. This operation highlights the critical importance of our partnership with federal authorities. Having our detectives embedded in federal agencies like the DEA and others is a true force multiplier, giving us direct access to intelligence, resources, and coordinated efforts that are critical to securing our borders and protecting the people and quality of life in St. Lucie County."
