Two men pleaded guilty Wednesday to federal charges stemming from a human smuggling attempt of 14 people in a boat that stalled off the coast of La Jolla, leading to the drowning death of one of the vessel's occupants.
The boat's captain, Victor Alfonso Soto Aguilar, 37, and another man who acted as a refueler -- Jose Ramon Geraldo Romero, 24 -- entered guilty pleas Wednesday in connection with the capsizing of a panga boat on May 20.
Both men told authorities that they agreed to pilot the vessel in lieu of paying smuggling fees to enter the United States, according to the complaint filed against them earlier this year.
Prosecutors say that with 16 people aboard, the vessel was overloaded, leading to engine failure that caused it to stall in open waters.
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According to a statement of facts read in open court, the boat stalled on the morning of May 20 about 80 yards from shore, off Marine Street Beach. The boat's occupants were told the water was shallow, and instructed to remove their life jackets and jump into the water, according to the recitation of facts read by U.S. Magistrate Judge Karen Crawford.
Fifteen people, including Aguilar and Romero, were recovered by rescue personnel, but Rogelio Perez Gutierrez drowned.
Migrants rescued in the smuggling attempt said they paid between $12,000 and $15,000 to be smuggled, according to prosecutors. Sentencing was scheduled for Dec. 13.
The fatality was one of several recent human smuggling attempts highlighted by San Diego federal authorities in a public plea to anyone considering a perilous border crossing against making such a journey.
"Smugglers do not care about the safety of their human cargo. They care only about profits, and the U.S. Attorney’s office is committed to bringing them to justice for these callous crimes," said Acting U.S. Attorney Randy Grossman said praising the work of those who worked on the case.
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Soto and Romero are scheduled to be sentencedon December 13.
The fatality was one of several recent human smuggling attempts highlighted by San Diego federal authorities in a public plea to anyone considering a perilous border crossing against making such a journey.
Others that occurred in the Southern California region include the March 2 crash near Holtville that led to the deaths of 13 Mexican and Guatemalan nationals when an overloaded SUV crashed into a semi-truck on an Imperial County highway, and the May 2 boat capsizing off the coast of Point Loma that claimed the lives of three Mexican migrants.
On Monday, U.S. Customs and Border Protection arrested 15 people after a panga was spotted off the coast of La Jolla.
U.S. Border patrol previously said there has been an increase in these types of smuggling attempts this year.
