Two men are facing charges after authorities in the Florida Keys said they were trying to travel to Cuba as part of a human smuggling venture.
Victor Manuel Rios Castillo, 29, was charged with attempted human smuggling and Jorge Luis Fernandez Rodriguez, 53, was charged with transporting fuel illegally, Monroe County Sheriff's Office officials said Tuesday.
The pair were arrested Monday at a boat ramp in Marathon after authorities received a report of a truck towing a boat that was blocking traffic.
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Deputies responded and found the boat on the back of a trailer that had a flat tire and damaged rim, officials said.
Inside the boat deputies found three 55-gallon drums of fuel, a fuel transfer pump, a satellite phone, a GPS with waypoints to Cuba, multiple gallons of marine oil, a large amount of water and soft drinks and numerous life jackets, officials said.
Rios Castillo, of West Palm Beach, admitted he was en route to Cuba for the purposes of human smuggling, the sheriff's office said.
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Fernandez Rodriguez, of Tampa, admitted he was aware of the fuel drums in the vessel he was towing, officials said.
Both men were booked into jail. Attorney information wasn't available.
The sheriff's office said they were assisted by U.S. Border Patrol and Homeland Security Investigations.
