California: Human Smuggler Who Rammed Coast Guard Vessel Off San Diago Sentenced To 5 Years

When discovered, human smugglers transporting illegal migrants can do ill-advised things. This includes an incident off California where a smuggler rammed his vessel into a US Coast Guard boat.

During his sentencing hearing inside a San Diego court, boat captain Jesus Jeovanny Alcaraz-Valdez was sentenced to five years in federal prison over the ramming incident that happened on December 2022. The judge called his actions "extremely reckless and extremely troubling."

Alcaraz reportedly piloted a Mexican fishing boat called a panga, a small vessel smugglers also use to transport illegal immigrants into the US via sea routes. This form of smuggling is often seen as an alternative to coyotes guiding immigrants across the desert to reach the US border.

According to the Associated Press, Alcaraz was a human smuggler who brought in an estimated 12 people from Mexico and into the United States before he rammed his boat into the Coast Guard vessel. He pleaded guilty to assault and human smuggling charges back in March.

Human Smuggler's Daring Attack Against the US Coast Guard

Alcaraz transported immigrants from Mexico and Guatemala to the coast of Coronado, a seaside suburb of San Diego in southern California. The human smuggler reportedly unloaded the immigrants in the area during the pre-dawn hours of December 17, 2022.

During the trial, prosecutors said that even though some of the migrants that Alcaraz was smuggling could not swim, he still instructed them to remove their jackets and enter waist-deep waters to reach the US. After he dropped them off, the US Coast Guard then spotted his vessel heading back to Mexico. This was when he rammed their patrol vessel with his panga.

According to The Times of San Diego, the Coast Guard vessel tried to get him to stop. However, the panga ignored their commands and rammed the patrol vessel twice. He then tried to escape but was soon caught after the Coast Guard shot at his vessel and took out its onboard engine.

Four Coast Guard officers suffered minor injuries.

Border Patrol agents also managed to catch eight of the migrants he was transporting, while four managed to escape.

The US Attorney's Office estimated that the Mexican and Guatemalan migrants pay up to $24,000 to be transported to the US via these fishing vessels.

Human Traffickers Play a Deadly Game in Transporting Migrants Via Sea

Incidents such as this one have proven to be deadly in the past, including the incident last March that resulted in the deaths of eight people.

Two boats capsized off the California coast in a suspected human smuggling operation. According to USA Today, this became one of the deadliest maritime smuggling tragedies in the area. The bodies of the victims were recovered at Black's Beach in San Diego. They were reported by a woman who called 911 and said that her boat washed ashore and another capsized near the area.

As immigrants await being processed into the US, the more desperate ones get offered quick entry into the US by these human smugglers. However, the waters of the Pacific are dangerous and often cold, resulting in tragedies such as this one.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

WATCH: Boat smuggling incident among San Diego's deadliest - CBS 8 San Diego