Woman, 25, accused of human smuggling after 16, including kids, die at sea

Woman faces 10 federal charges after deadly voyage from Cuba

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MIAMI – Prosecutors say a 25-year-old woman is to blame for a tragedy at sea in 2022.

A survivor reported that about 16 fellow migrants vanished — including children — when an overloaded boat without life vests sank about 30 miles off the coast of Cuba.

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The U.S. Coast Guard reported recovering the bodies of four of the drowning victims on Nov. 16, 2022, detaining three suspects, and investigating the incident as a “smuggling venture.”

According to prosecutors and investigators, Yaquelin Dominguez-Nieves, who lives in south-central Florida, was one of the human smugglers behind the voyage.

Coast Guard Investigative Service Special Agent in Charge Matthew J. Margelot and U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe announced the case on Friday after CGIS agents arrested Dominguez-Nieves, of Sebring, in Highlands County.

“Human trafficking enterprises put the lives of migrants at risk in the pursuit of profit. Human traffickers exploit immigrants’ hopes for a better life,” Lapointe said in a statement.

Dominguez-Nieves is facing 10 counts of encouraging and inducing or attempting to bring aliens into the United States resulting in death. She faces a maximum penalty of life in prison or death.

U.S. Coast Guard Sector Key West, U.S. Border Patrol, The Monroe County Medical Examiner’s Office, and Highlands County Sheriff’s Office deputies assisted CGIS agents with the case.

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About the Author
Andrea Torres headshot

The Emmy Award-winning journalist joined the Local 10 News team in 2013. She wrote for the Miami Herald for more than 9 years and won a Green Eyeshade Award.

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