Haitian National Previously Convicted in Deadly Smuggling Scheme Arrested after Returning to Florida

Federal authorities arrested a Haitian national in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, who was previously deported from the United States after a felony conviction for human smuggling. The smuggling incident resulted in the deaths of ten migrants more than a decade earlier.

Jimmy Metellus, an illegal immigrant from Haiti, recently completed a 14-year federal sentence for his role in the deadly smuggling scheme in 2009 that resulted in the death of nine migrants and an unborn fetus. The 48-year-old Metellus was a co-captain of a boat carrying migrants that capsized off the coast of Florida on May 13, 2009.

Miami Sector Chief Patrol Agent Samuel Briggs II announced the arrest of Metellus on Thursday, saying the enforcement action was the result of a multi-agency law enforcement operation. As an aggravated felon under United States immigration laws, Metellus faces felony prosecution for illegal re-entry into the country after removal.

Metellus was convicted in 2009 as being responsible for the capsizing of a boat carrying what authorities believed to be between 28 to 35 Haitian migrants in 2009. Rescuers at the time conducted an extensive search off the Atlantic coast of Florida for survivors of the overloaded boat carrying mostly Haitian migrants. Rescuers were unable to get a clear count of those on board. Officials investigating the incident were able to determine that one of the victims was an unborn child.

Sixteen people managed to survive the incident that resulted in the ship sinking. According to an Associated Press report at the time, eight of the survivors were wearing life jackets and others had to tread water for more than 10 hours before they were discovered by chance by another boat about 15 miles off the Florida coast.

In 2010, United States Attorney Wilfredo Ferrer announced the sentencing of Metellus to a nearly 14-year sentence for the failed smuggling scheme that resulted in the deaths of the 10 migrants in Florida.  Metellus pled guilty to 13 counts of Alien Smuggling Placing in Jeopardy the Lives of Aliens, in violation of Title 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv) and (v)(II), and 1324(a)(1)(B)(iii) and nine counts of Alien Smuggling Resulting in Death, Title 8 USC 1324(a)(1)(A)(iv) and (v)(II), and 1324(a)(1)(B)(iv).

According to the indictment prosecuting Metellus for his role in the deaths in 2009, Metellus and three other captains of the vessel carrying the doomed migrants left the Bahamas on May 9, 2009. The vessel travelled to Bimini where the migrants were allegedly taken off the vessel while the boat was repaired for damages suffered during the journey. The next night, the migrants were reloaded on the boat, and the boat departed for the United States.  A Good Samaritan reported to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) seeing people in the water approximately 16 miles east of Palm Beach County, Fla., in the early morning hours of May 13, 2009.

After a massive search and rescue operation conducted by the USCG, CBP Air and Marine Operations interdiction agents, U.S. Border Patrol, the Palm Beach Sheriff’s Office, Palm Beach Fire and Rescue, and the Palm Beach County Medical Examiner’s Office, 16 survivors, including Metellus, and ten deceased were identified as having been on the boat. According to the United States Attorney prosecuting the case, the 10 deceased migrants included one adult male, seven adult females, one infant, and one unborn viable fetus. None of the survivors had visas or other travel documentation for admission into the U.S., nor were any such documents found in the nearby waters.

As a migrant previously removed as an aggravated felon, Metellus faces a penalty of a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.

Randy Clark is a 32-year veteran of the United States Border Patrol.  Prior to his retirement, he served as the Division Chief for Law Enforcement Operations, directing operations for nine Border Patrol Stations within the Del Rio, Texas, Sector. Follow him on X, (formerly Twitter) @RandyClarkBBTX.