Miami, FL – Three Cuban men have been arrested and charged with human trafficking after authorities discovered they had been transporting more than two dozen undocumented immigrants, most of whom were Chinese, to the United States via boat. The suspects—Lucas Sedeno Rodríguez, 52, José Luis Villares, 55, and Keiner Cicilia Rodríguez, 39—are facing federal charges for transporting foreigners within the U.S. following a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Miami.
The investigation began last Friday morning when a resident in the Snapper Creek Lakes neighborhood of Coral Gables witnessed what appeared to be a kidnapping. The witness observed a man forcibly pushing a woman into the back of a Toyota Corolla with Texas plates, which was parked near a U-Haul moving truck. The concerned citizen recorded a video of the incident and showed it to a Coral Gables police officer.
Using this information, authorities tracked the vehicles to the 6700 block of LeJeune Road in Coral Gables, where they arrested 28 people, including the suspected traffickers. The group of immigrants, mostly Chinese nationals, had recently arrived by boat on the shores of Florida.
The three suspects are currently facing charges related to transporting, moving, or attempting to move undocumented immigrants within the U.S. as part of an ongoing investigation into human trafficking operations in the region.