A Dominican national has been sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in a human smuggling operation that resulted in the deaths of 11 individuals. Fermin Montilla, 45, was found guilty of piloting a vessel carrying 48 people from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico on May 12, 2022. The vessel capsized during the journey, leading to the tragic incident.
Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon from the Justice Department's Criminal Division stated, "The defendant attempted to illegally smuggle 48 migrants into the United States, leading to the tragic deaths of 11 people." She emphasized that human smugglers pose a threat to national security and exploit vulnerable individuals without regard for their safety.
U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico commented on the case: "Human smuggling operations not only violate U.S. law and threaten our national security, but they also endanger the lives of the smuggled migrants and result in death as in this case."
Special Agent in Charge Rebecca Gonzalez-Ramos of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan highlighted the dangers involved: "In this one incident we lost 11 lives, we need to protect individuals from this heinous crime."
Montilla pleaded guilty on September 13, 2024, to bringing aliens into the United States at an undesignated port resulting in death. The investigation was conducted by HSI San Juan with support from various federal and local agencies.
Trial Attorney Angela Buckner and U.S. Coast Guard Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Helena Daniel prosecuted Montilla's case under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force program.
The Justice Department has proposed new legislation aimed at increasing penalties for human smugglers. This proposal seeks steeper penalties based on factors such as injury or death caused by smuggling activities and includes enhancements for sexual misconduct occurring during such offenses.