Dominican national gets 9 years in prison for involvement in fatal human smuggling incident

On Dec. 23, 2022, a vessel not unlike the one pictured above capsized as it reached the shoreline of Rincón, leading to the death of a three-year-old child who was being illegally smuggled to Puerto Rico. (X via CBP Caribbean)

By The Star Staff

A Dominican national was sentenced last week to nine years in prison for his involvement in a deadly human smuggling conspiracy in Puerto Rico.

According to court documents, Alcibades de Paz, 34, was one of the individuals at the helm of a vessel carrying non-citizens, including a three-year-old boy, from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico. The defendant operated the boat during the human smuggling venture.

When the vessel stopped functioning, the defendant aided in starting the engine and holding the throttle of the boat’s outboard engine toward the shore of Rincón while evading law enforcement’s attempts to intercept the vessel safely.

On Dec. 23, 2022, the vessel capsized as it reached the shoreline, leading to the death of a three-year-old child who was illegally smuggled to the United States.

On Aug. 27, de Paz pleaded guilty to one count of bringing certain aliens into the United States, resulting in death. In addition to his term of imprisonment, de Paz must serve three years of supervised release.

Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney W. Stephen Muldrow for the District of Puerto Rico; and Special Agent in Charge Rebecca González-Ramos of Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) San Juan made the announcement.

HSI San Juan investigated the case with assistance from the Puerto Rico Police Bureau’s Joint Forces of Rapid Action and U.S. Border Patrol, Ramey Sector.

Trial Attorney Marie Zisa of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Emelina M. Agrait-Barreto for the District of Puerto Rico prosecuted the case.

The investigation was conducted under the Extraterritorial Criminal Travel Strike Force (ECT) program, a partnership between the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and HSI. The ECT program focuses on human smuggling networks that may present particular national security or public safety risks or grave humanitarian concerns. ECT has dedicated investigative, intelligence, and prosecutorial resources. ECT coordinates and receives assistance from other U.S. government agencies and foreign law enforcement authorities.