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A group of fishermen from Matanzas is desperately demanding the return of a wooden boat that, according to their claims, was stolen and used last week to transport 10 migrants from Cuba to the Florida Keys. The vessel, which is their primary means of livelihood, is now in the custody of U.S. authorities.
“That boat is our livelihood. It is our main source of income, and not just for us. Many families here depend on that boat to survive,” stated the owner’s wife to Miami Herald, the outlet that uncovered the case. The woman requested to remain anonymous.
According to the research published by the American outlet, the vessel was stolen in Cárdenas and reappeared days later in the Florida Keys, where it was used to transport a group of migrants, including a 10-year-old child.
After arriving in Tavernier on Thursday, September 5, the captain and passengers spent the night in the mangroves before heading to a nearby shopping center.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office reported that, the following day, an officer observed a vehicle picking up several of the new arrivals. Upon being stopped, the occupants admitted to having disembarked from Cuba by boat.
The boat was found floating near Rock Harbor by agents of Air and Marine Operations of the Customs and Border Protection (CBP). Since then, it has been kept under the care of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC).
Arrests and charges for human trafficking
U.S. authorities have arrested two men for their alleged involvement in a human smuggling operation.
- Jesús Herrera Belett, 38 years old, a resident of Key West, faces nine charges of human trafficking.
- Jesús Medina Esquijarosa, 56 years old, a resident of Miami, was charged with complicity in the same crime.
Both were admitted to the Monroe County Jail and remain incarcerated with bail set at $700,000 and $225,000, respectively, according to official reports.
“Quiero dar las gracias a los hombres y mujeres de la Oficina del Sheriff del Condado de Monroe y la Patrulla Fronteriza de EE.UU. que trabajaron arduamente en conjunto en este caso”, declaró el sheriff Rick Ramsay en una public notice difundida en la página oficial de la institución.
The sheriff, however, expressed his frustration with federal authorities: “I am disappointed that the U.S. Attorney's Office remains unwilling to investigate the incidents of human trafficking in the Florida Keys. Nevertheless, the Sheriff's Office and the State Attorney's Office of Monroe County will continue to take on these cases to hold individuals accountable and to combat this human trafficking crisis, unlike the U.S. Attorney's Office.”
Questions about the return of the boat to Cuba
For the fishermen of Matanzas, the main concern is to recover the boat that they believe is vital for the community. However, Sheriff Ramsay warned that returning it will not be easy.
She suggested that the owners file a formal complaint with the Cuban authorities and send that document to the U.S. Department of State and the Border Patrol, as an initial step in a process that may extend and become complicated due to the diplomatic ties between the two countries.
A spokesperson for the FWC confirmed that the procedure for the eventual repatriation of the ship is under investigation.
A defendant with immigration history
According to the arrest report cited by Miami Herald, Herrera Belett told detectives that he was the owner of the vessel and that he was traveling with his wife, his son, and seven other passengers.
He even recounted that in 2022 he had already crossed the Florida Strait on another fishing boat, the "Elvira," and managed to settle in Detroit, where he worked until he saved enough money to buy a Scarab boat.
In March 2023, he attempted to return to Cuba on that vessel, but he was arrested by the Cuban Border Guard and remained incarcerated for a year.
However, the complainant insisted that “many families here rely on that boat to survive,” in a testimony that reflects the precariousness in which fishing communities on the island live.
In the meantime, the vessel remains detained in Florida, and the future of the fishermen demanding its return is uncertain, caught between international bureaucracy, the tightening of immigration laws, and the human drama that drives hundreds of Cubans to venture out to sea in search of a different future.
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