The Coast Guard contacted park dispatch around 10 a.m. on March 14th to report a suspicious vessel at anchor near Sands Cut, which connects Biscayne Bay to open ocean waters. They reported that the vessel appeared to have been staged there to conduct smuggling operations during the day. On board, they’d found 44 five-gallon containers containing gasoline, 13 one-gallon water jugs, and canned foods and crackers. The batteries had been removed from the boat, apparently in an attempt to keep others from stealing it. Rangers and Immigration and Customs Enforcement criminal investigators arrived on scene and took possession of the smuggling boat. Rangers impounded the vessel. On Sunday, March 16th, rangers joined the Coast Guard and Miami-Dade Fire Rescue in picking up 33 Cuban migrants (20 men, 10 women and three children) from Soldier Key, the northernmost island in the park. All 33 had evidently been smuggled onto the island the previous night. Under the United States’ "wet foot/dry foot" policy, these 33 migrants will not be deported and will be allowed to stay in the country. They were transported to the mainland and transferred to the United States Border Patrol.
