Staff Report
May 11, 2008
Seventy-nine Cuban refugees, stopped at sea in four incidents last week,
were sent back to Bahia de Cabañas, Cuba, on Saturday aboard the Coast
Guard Cutter Key Biscayne, the Coast Guard reported.
On Wednesday, a U.S. Customs and Border Protection air crew saw 58 Cuban
refugees on two, speedboats traveling in tandem about 40 miles southeast
of Miami. Also Wednesday, the Coast Guard Cutter Kodiak Island stopped
18 Cubans on a rustic vessel about 45 miles northwest of Havana.
In the first incident, U.S. border agents used disabling fire to
intercept the vessels about 12 miles east of Miami, after the four
suspected smugglers refused to stop, Coast Guard officials said. The
suspects were transferred to border patrol agents in Miami; the Cuban
refugees were transferred to the Coast Guard Cutter Pea Island.
On Tuesday, an aircraft crew saw another speedboat without its lights on
about 80 miles southwest of Key West. The Coast Guard said it stopped
the boat with six Cuban refugees and two suspected smugglers aboard.
Three of the Cubans were sent back to the island Saturday; two are
awaiting transfer to U.S. immigration officials in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba;
and one case is pending. The suspects were turned over to border patrol
agents in Key West.
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/cuba/sfl-flbcubans0511sbmay11,0,2571144.story
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