Tortola Man Charged With Federal Human Smuggling
A British Virgin Islands man from Tortola is facing federal alien-smuggling charges in the United States after authorities intercepted a vessel carrying three Indian nationals from St. Thomas to Culebra, Puerto Rico. Federal officials confirmed the suspect was charged under Title 8 of the U.S. Code, highlighting ongoing enforcement along a maritime route frequently targeted for migrant smuggling and contraband trafficking.
A British Virgin Islands man from Tortola is facing federal alien-smuggling charges in the United States after federal authorities intercepted a vessel allegedly used to transport an undocumented family of three from St. Thomas to the Puerto Rican island of Culebra. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the interdiction took place around 6:30 a.m. on September 15.
An Air and Marine Operations unit tracked a vessel traveling west from St. Thomas toward Culebra and alerted the Fajardo Marine Unit. Marine Interdiction agents coordinated with Puerto Rico Police officers stationed on Culebra, who quickly responded to the shoreline where the boat had made landfall.
Upon arrival, local police detained three Indian nationals—an adult man, an adult woman, and a minor—who identified themselves as members of the same family. Following the shore response, the Fajardo Marine Unit deployed two interceptor vessels to locate the transport boat. Agents intercepted the vessel in the area with a single occupant remaining aboard.
Following formal interviews conducted by Ramey Sector Border Patrol agents and investigators from the Homeland Security Task Force Human Smuggling Unit, authorities identified the vessel operator as Kavon Wheatley, a British national residing in Tortola. Wheatley was formally charged under 8 U.S.C. § 1324, a federal statute that criminalizes the knowing bringing in, transporting, or harboring of unauthorized immigrants.
The charge remains an allegation, and Wheatley is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. CBP did not disclose whether the family paid for the passage, how long they had remained in St. Thomas before departing, or the exact location where the vessel originated. No criminal charges have been filed against the three Indian nationals, who were transferred alongside Wheatley to the Ramey Border Patrol Station for immigration processing and placement into removal proceedings.
Federal authorities also confirmed plans to seize the vessel and its 200-horsepower outboard engine under federal customs law. Christopher Hunter, director of the CBP Caribbean Air and Marine Branch, emphasized that human smugglers routinely place lives at risk for financial gain on hazardous sea routes, noting that successful interdictions rely on vital coordination between federal and local law enforcement partners.
Thomas and Culebra has increasingly drawn scrutiny from federal investigators for smuggling operations. Federal authorities previously investigated an October 2024 incident involving a disabled vessel off West Cay carrying ten migrants from the Dominican Republic, Romania, and Brazil, which led to a federal smuggling conviction.
The same corridor was also the scene of a maritime pursuit resulting in the recovery of 65 packages of jettisoned cocaine, underscoring intense federal surveillance across the waters separating the U.S.
Primary source: VINO