A Dominican national involved in a human smuggling operation that led to the death of nearly a dozen illegal aliens was sentenced to a prison term of nine years.
The sentencing was issued Monday against Fermin Montilla, 45, who led the smuggling venture, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) said in a Feb. 10 statement.
The incident happened in May 2022, when Montilla “piloted a vessel carrying 48 individuals from the Dominican Republic to Puerto Rico, with the intent of bringing those individuals to the United States illegally,” the DOJ said, citing court documents.
“At some point during the journey, the vessel took on water and capsized, and 11 people drowned.” In September 2024, Montilla pled guilty to a count of bringing illegal aliens into the United States other than through a designated entry port and causing their deaths….