Miami: A Cuban woman who orchestrated a 2022 human smuggling operation from Cuba to Florida, which led to the deaths of 16 people, has entered a guilty plea to federal charges, as reported by US prosecutors.
According to Anadolu Agency, Yaquelin Dominguez-Nieves, 26, who is unlawfully residing in the United States, confessed on Tuesday to “conspiring to smuggle aliens into the United States,” as confirmed by the US Attorney’s Office in Miami. As part of a plea agreement, Dominguez-Nieves admitted to collecting over $11,500 from the families of migrants in the US and sending the money to her boyfriend in Cuba, who organized for the migrants to embark on a fishing vessel.
The boat set sail from Playa Jaimanitas, Cuba, on November 16, 2022, but tragically sank after covering only 30 miles (48 kilometers). Out of the 18 people on board, just two survived. Authorities reported that the survivors indicated the boat was not equipped with life jackets and the captain “did not appear to know how to operate the vessel.”
The charges against Dominguez-Nieves carry a potential life imprisonment sentence, with a mandatory minimum of five years, as stated by prosecutors. Although the plea deal does not specify the sentence to be pursued, it hints at a possible reduction in light of her cooperation. Her sentencing is set for April 11.
In 2022, at least 269 migrants, primarily heading towards the US mainland or Puerto Rico, perished in attempts to cross the Caribbean Sea, based on data from the International Organization for Migration. A 2023 report from the organization also documented 686 migrant deaths at the US-Mexico border that year.