Tortola Man Charged With Human Smuggling in
A British Virgin Islands national from Tortola faces federal human smuggling charges after US authorities intercepted a vessel carrying an undocumented Indian family from St. Thomas to Culebra, Puerto Rico. Federal agents plan to seize the boat and its 200-horsepower engine while the family enters formal removal proceedings.
A British Virgin Islands man from Tortola is facing federal charges in the United States after authorities intercepted a vessel allegedly used to smuggle three undocumented migrants from St. Thomas to the Puerto Rican island of Culebra. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), the operation unfolded around 6:30 a.m. on September 15 when an Air and Marine Operations unit tracked a vessel traveling west toward Culebra and alerted the Fajardo Marine Unit.
Puerto Rico Police officers stationed on the island responded quickly to the shore area 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 boat.
Agents intercepted the vessel in the area with a single occupant still 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 boat operator as Kavon Wheatley, a British national from Tortola.
Wheatley was formally charged under Title 8 of the United States Code for bringing in, harboring, and transporting unauthorized immigrants. He is presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court. CBP did not disclose whether the family paid for the journey, how long they had stayed in St.
No criminal charges have been announced against the three Indian nationals, who were transported alongside Wheatley to the Ramey Border Patrol Station to be placed into standard immigration removal proceedings. Federal authorities 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.
Primary source: VINO