The individuals implicated in a fatal human trafficking incident that occurred off Imperial Beach in 2022 have been sentenced to prison. The incident resulted in the deaths of three people after their boat capsized. The United States Attorney’s Office Southern District Office officially announced the sentencing.
Patricia D. McGurk-Daniel, Chief Patrol Agent at U.S. Border Patrol, stated, "The captain & co-captain of a tragic maritime smuggling attempt were sentenced today to 50 & 54 months in prison. Three people perished that day in 2022 because they trusted their lives to criminals who only care about profits."
According to a news release from the Department of Justice (DOJ), Jorge Armando Preciado-Vasquez, 30, and Alexis Martinez-Preciado, 20, both from Baja California, Mexico, attempted to smuggle seven adults and an unaccompanied minor from Mexico into America during Thanksgiving weekend last year. Preciado-Vasquez was the captain of the boat while Martinez-Preciado served as the co-captain and navigator.
The DOJ release also detailed that those who died in the incident included a 47-year-old man and a 39-year-old woman from Mexico, along with an unidentified young woman presumed to be from Guatemala. On November 26, 2022, Preciado-Vasquez and Martinez-Preciado navigated a hull craft from Mexico through the ocean up near the shore of Imperial Beach. Upon approach, they ordered their passengers to remove their life vests—a typical tactic used in open water human smuggling operations intended to make passengers less noticeable.
U.S. Attorney Tara McGrath commented on the tragedy saying: "This case is a horrible tragedy and three lives were needlessly lost when profiteering overtook caution. Criminal smuggling organizations consistently disregard the welfare of the human beings they smuggle."
As reported by the DOJ release, despite efforts by Imperial Beach lifeguards, surfers, and witnesses, the boat capsized shortly after the passengers removed their life jackets, resulting in the drowning of the three victims.
Chad Plantz, special agent in charge for Homeland Security Investigations San Diego, expressed his concern over such incidents: "Maritime human smuggling is an incredibly dangerous tactic which has claimed numerous lives. However, transnational criminal organizations have no regard for human life and continue to enrich themselves using the tactic. HSI is committed to using all means at our disposal to investigate and hold accountable those placing human beings at substantial risk of injury and death."
