MIAMI, USA – United States law enforcement authorities have charged two American citizens with trying to smuggle a number of illegal immigrants, including nationals from Jamaica and Haiti to South Florida.

US Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said in a federal complaint on Friday said that the US Coast Guard had intercepted Jesus Saavedra-Reyes, 52, and Sandra Anderson in their 40-foot fishing boat east of Boynton Beach.

ICE charged that they were trying to smuggle 19 illegal immigrants from Haiti, four from Jamaica, six from Brazil, and two from Sri Lanka on board the boat “Le Superior”.

ICE said Coast Guard crews returned the Haitians to Haiti, and the rest were interviewed and processed for deportation in West Palm Beach and Miami. Seven of them had been deported before.

The complaint said the immigrants interviewed identified Saavedra-Reyes as the boat captain and Anderson as the boat owner.

They told ICE agents they expected to stay at Anderson’s Miami home until they each paid the US$5,000 smuggling fee, the complaint said.

Both Saavedra-Reyes and Anderson denied being involved in a human smuggling ring. A federal judge ordered them held in pre-trial detention.

Both face a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison, US$250,000 in fines and three years of supervised release.