Five Mexican nationals have been charged following a tragic incident where a boat carrying migrants capsized off the San Diego coast, resulting in the deaths of a 14-year-old boy from India and at least two others. The accused, identified as Jesus Ivan Rodriguez-Leyva (36), Julio Cesar Zuniga-Luna (30), Melissa Jennelle Cota (33), Gustavo Lara (32), and Sergio Rojas-Fregoso (31), face various federal charges, including bringing in aliens resulting in death and transportation of illegal aliens. Zuniga-Luna and Rodriguez-Leyva were apprehended at Del Mar beach after witnesses reported the overturned panga-style vessel.
In total, three bodies were recovered, including that of the deceased teenager. Four survivors, including the boy’s parents—one of whom is in a coma—were rescued and hospitalized. Initially, it was feared that nine individuals were missing. However, Border Patrol agents located eight of them after identifying vehicles linked to the smuggling operation in Chula Vista. The drivers of these vehicles were arrested, yet the boy’s 10-year-old sister remains unaccounted for and is presumed dead.
U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon emphasized the need for justice and highlighted the heart-wrenching nature of the incident, underscoring the disregard human traffickers have for life in pursuit of profit. This tragic event serves as a somber reminder of the dangers involved in human trafficking and the dire consequences for vulnerable migrants. Efforts by the Coast Guard and local law enforcement were pivotal in the search and rescue operations that followed the incident.
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