Illegal Alien Traffickers Convicted And Deported

Early last June 11th, rangers were advised that illegal migrants had been dropped off on the beaches of Cape Sable.  While mobilizing, responding rangers saw two large vessels and a personal watercraft entering the Flamingo marina – an action that immediately raised suspicions, as personal watercraft are prohibited in the Everglades and large vessels are uncommon in Florida Bay's shallow waters. Further investigation revealed enough evidence to detain the nine people on the three vessels on suspicion of smuggling the illegal migrants. Rangers picked up the 27 migrants from Cape Sable and turned them and the nine suspected smugglers over to Border Patrol, but no criminal charges were ever filed against the alleged smugglers by the Border Patrol. On January 28th, rangers Tony Terry and Cindy Morris testified in Immigration Court in Miami against two of the suspected smugglers. Both individuals, Ivan Garcia-Morales and Jorge Catala, were found guilty of aiding and abetting illegal alien trafficking and sentenced to deportation. The two men have long been suspected by rangers as the leaders of a smuggling ring that has resulted in an average of two landings per year on the capes for the last several years.