Almost all coming by boat are smuggled

 BY NANCY SAN MARTIN

 Virtually all Cubans now coming to the United States by sea are doing so as part of smuggling rings that are becoming increasingly brazen and appear to be multiplying, according to U.S. officials who monitor the illegal traffic in humans across the Florida Straits.

 In addition, about 80 people, most of them Cuban-American residents of South Florida, are currently behind bars in Cuba on charges of trafficking human cargo out of the island. The dangerous 90-mile sprint from Cuba to the Florida Keys has been bolstered by toughened immigration laws that have made smuggling a profitable, if risky, business with fees as high as $10,000 per person.

 ``There is certainly an increase in the number of smugglers bringing people into the states,'' said Lt. Cmdr. Ron LaBrec of the U.S. Coast Guard in Miami. ``Especially in the last year, almost exclusively, people coming in from Cuba are with smugglers.

 ``The number of self-help migrants, those on rafts or homemade vessels, are few and far between,'' he said.

 Authorities said the increased activity became apparent in 1999 when agents detected a dramatic hike in the the number of Cubans trying to make it to U.S. shores in fast boats. That fiscal year, ending in September 1999, nearly 4,000 Cubans were apprehended in water-related incidents.

 That compares to about 1,400 during the same time frame the previous year. Over the past 10 months, more than 2,000 Cubans have been apprehended.

 LaBrec said smugglers are using ``go-fast'' boats that vary from cigarette boats to sport fishing vessels capable of traveling 40 to 50 miles per hour, making the journey from Cuba to Florida shores less than a three-hour ride in calm seas.

 The boats typically carry from a dozen to 30 people and smugglers usually are aboard operating the vessels.

 ``Smugglers are using new, good, fast boats,'' LaBrec said.

 Cuban officials blame U.S. laws for stimulating illegal migration. Unlike other foreign nationals, Cubans entering the United States by sea can stay if they make it to land under a U.S. policy known as ``wet-foot/dry-foot.'' Under the 1994 migration accord negotiated by the Clinton administration, only those Cubans interdicted at sea can be repatriated.

 A year after entering U.S. soil, they can apply for permanent residency under the Cuban Adjustment Act.

 ``The Cuban Adjustment Act is to blame for this problem,'' said Luis Fernández, spokesman for the Cuban Interests Section in Washington. ``The day they get rid of that, people will stop taking the risk. It's created a market for exploitation. Serious measures need to be taken. Those who smuggle people, also smuggle drugs and who knows what else.''

 According to statistics recently released by Cuban officials, 87 suspects were arrested between April 1998 and April 2000 for trying to smuggle Cubans off the island. All are said to be Cuban-born U.S. residents. So far, 61 have stood trial. Most have received a minimum of 10 years in jail.

 Fernández said there are currently between 70 and 80 people in Cuban jails. The maximum penalty for human trafficking under Cuba's penal code is 30 years.

 ``Almost all of the trips were organized from Florida,'' Fernández said.

 Federal officials cannot corroborate the number of prisoners held in Cuba on smuggling charges because the State Department becomes involved only when U.S. citizens are detained. At least 11 citizens currently are behind bars in Cuba, according to State Department figures. Most are Cuban-American exiles from Miami who have been accused of plotting against Castro's regime.

 The others are believed to be U.S. residents, but not citizens. U.S. officials say they consider the smuggling operations a serious problem and have made aggressive
 prosecution a priority.

 Over the past three years, the U.S. attorney's office in Miami has convicted defendants in 19 cases involving the smuggling of Cuban nationals. Another three cases are pending. Together, the cases involve the ferrying of more than 300 Cubans. At least three have died during the voyage.

 ``This office is committed to stop profiteers who endanger innocent lives for financial gain,'' Guy A. Lewis, U.S. attorney in Miami, said through his spokeswoman Aloyma Sanchez.

 ``This office will not tolerate those who take advantage of the desperation of the Cuban people by trafficking in human cargo -- activity which all too often has resulted in tragedies on the high seas.''

 Alien smuggling convictions in the United States carry a penalty of up to 10 years.

                                   © 2001