Three Dominican nationals indicted in Mona Island smuggling wreck that killed 3
Federal prosecutors in San Juan say a September 28 crossing carrying 64 people capsized near Mona Island, leaving three dead and 12 missing, and that the charges can carry the death penalty.
The short version
- A federal grand jury indicted three Dominican nationals on October 7 over a September 28 wreck near Mona Island
- Prosecutors say 49 people were rescued, three Dominican men's bodies were recovered and 12 people remain missing
- One defendant is accused of striking people with a machete aboard the boat, which prosecutors say led to the capsizing
- The charges can carry the death penalty, according to federal officials quoted by Metro, NotiCel and Primera Hora
The charges
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the District of Puerto Rico announced on Thursday that a federal grand jury has indicted three Dominican nationals over a maritime smuggling crossing that ended in a wreck near Mona Island. The office said on X that the venture resulted in three deaths and that approximately 12 individuals remain unaccounted for. El Vocero reported the indictment was filed on October 7 for events of September 28.
The defendants are Máximo Alexander Castillo-Cabrera, Víctor Alfonso Montilla-Espíritu Santo and Danny De La Rosa-Mercedes, El Vocero reported. It said Castillo-Cabrera and Montilla-Espíritu Santo are accused of conspiring to bring people into the United States illegally for financial gain, knowing or recklessly disregarding that the people had no authorization to enter. All three face a count of illegal entry of a foreign national, and De La Rosa-Mercedes faces an additional count of violence aboard the vessel.
What the sources posted
Posts and statements below are the sources' own words, quoted as published. They are not independently verified.
Three Dominican Nationals Indicted for Role in Maritime Human Smuggling Venture that Resulted in Three Deaths. Approximately 12 individuals remain unaccounted for.
The source's own post, quoted as published. Not verified by PuertoRico.com. View post
Los acusados intentaron introducir ilegalmente a 64 migrantes en Puerto Rico, lo que provocó la trágica muerte de tres personas, mientras otras 12 continúan desaparecidas.
Our translation: The defendants tried to smuggle 64 migrants into Puerto Rico, which caused the tragic death of three people, while another 12 remain missing.
The source's own statement, as quoted by El Vocero. Not verified by PuertoRico.com.
What prosecutors say happened on the boat
Primera Hora reported that Ramírez Carbó said De La Rosa-Mercedes is accused of assaulting and trying to assault more than one person with a machete while aboard, which he said destabilized the roughly 30-foot boat and led to the capsizing, the three deaths and the 12 missing. The paper reported that he said at least one of the three dead had injuries consistent with machete wounds, and that he could not say whether that person died from the assault or by drowning. He told the paper the boat was in poor condition and that a boat with 64 passengers could not take three people moving to one side.
Metro reported that the acting U.S. attorney said the defendants put lives at risk to enrich themselves and that prosecutors are coordinating with Dominican authorities to reach the organizers of such crossings. Both Metro and NotiCel quoted him saying some people pay up to $5,000 for the trip.
The rescue
El Vocero reported that the search and rescue recovered 49 foreign nationals and the bodies of three Dominican men, with the U.S. Coast Guard, Customs and Border Protection air and marine operations, the Puerto Rico Police FURA unit and a private boater taking part. Metro, NotiCel and Primera Hora reported the same totals: 49 rescued, three dead, 12 missing. Primera Hora said those aboard were Dominicans and Haitians.
Where the sources differ
The San Juan outlets agree on the names, the counts and the toll of three dead and 12 missing. Diario Libre, reporting from the Dominican Republic, described the wreck differently, writing that 12 people died on Sunday, September 27, rather than three dead and 12 missing on September 28. Primera Hora places the wreck on the night of September 27 in waters near Mona Island, while El Vocero dates the events to September 28. Metro and NotiCel attribute the possibility of a death sentence to acting U.S. Attorney Héctor Ramírez Carbó, while Primera Hora attributes it to Yariel Ramos, the acting head of Homeland Security Investigations in Puerto Rico, and quotes the prosecutor naming the count that carries it: violence against maritime navigation resulting in death. Diario Libre describes a nine-count indictment; the other outlets do not give a count.
What the reports do not say
No report says where the three defendants are being held, whether they have entered pleas, or when they will appear in court. Prosecutors have not said, in these accounts, what started the fight on the boat, and Primera Hora reported that the U.S. attorney gave no details of the dispute. The names of the dead and the missing have not been published, and no account quotes the defendants or their lawyers.
Sources
Every link below was opened and checked when this story was published. Official means a government body, agency or the organization itself; Reporting means a news outlet.
- Official U.S. Attorney's Office for Puerto Rico on X
- Reporting Acusan a tres dominicanos por viaje marítimo que dejó tres muertos cerca de isla de Mona
- Reporting Tres hombres imputados de provocar naufragio en el canal de la Mona se exponen a la pena de muerte
- Reporting Tres dominicanos podrían enfrentar pena de muerte por viaje ilegal que dejó varios muertos cerca de Mona
- Reporting Tres dominicanos podrían enfrentar la pena de muerte por viaje ilegal que dejó tres muertos
- Reporting Acusan a tres dominicanos por presunto tráfico de personas tras naufragio cerca de Isla Mona
How we checked this
The indictment was announced by the U.S. Attorney's Office on X and reported by El Vocero, Metro, NotiCel and Primera Hora from the prosecutor's press conference, with Diario Libre carrying a conflicting toll. The investigation is led by Homeland Security Investigations in San Juan, according to El Vocero.
Compiled by the PuertoRico.com News Desk from the reports and statements listed above, and checked against them before publishing. It does not include original interviews. Spot an error? Email support@puertorico.com with a link to this story.