(The Center Square) – An alleged Chinese spy, human smugglers and violent criminals are the latest to be arrested by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement and other federal agents in Florida.
One recent arrest was of a Chinese-Canadian national charged with three counts of using an unmanned aircraft to photograph vital defense installations and equipment at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base, Cape Canaveral, Florida.
Xiao Guang Pan, 71, used an unmanned aircraft to photograph vital defense installations and equipment at Cape Canaveral Space Force Base over a period of three days in January, according to a criminal filing. He allegedly took aerial photographs of Space Launch complexes, a payload processing facility, a submarine wharf, and munitions bunkers, according to the complaint published by ICE.
Federal law prohibits unauthorized photographs from being taken of vital defense installations. Pan faces a maximum of one year in federal prison on each count.
He is among several alleged Chinese operatives who’ve been arrested in more than 60 espionage-related cases in the last few years, The Center Square reported.
Off Florida’s coast, U.S. Customs and Border Protection’s Air and Marine Operations (AMO) agents disrupted a maritime smuggling attempt on Tuesday, apprehending 24 illegal foreign nationals and seizing two vessels.
After AMO Multi-Role Enforcement Aircraft (MEA) aircrew detected a vessel off the coast of Bimini, Bahamas, they notified two AMO Coastal Interceptor Vessel maritime crews of their location, course and speed. Within a few hours, CBP AMO Marine Interdiction Agents intercepted a 27-foot twin-engine Sea Ray near Elliott Key, Florida.
They then discovered multiple people on deck and others concealed under the aft seat. None possessed valid documentation to enter or remain in the U.S. and were transferred to U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous to be repatriated.
During questioning, the vessel’s operator disclosed a plan to rendezvous with a second boat. While transiting inshore, AMO agents located and interdicted that boat also, which was also found east of Elliott Key. On board was a U.S. citizen and a lawful permanent resident, one of whom was participating in the smuggling operation ICE said.
In total, they apprehended 21 Chinese nationals, one Ecuadorian, one Colombian, and one Dominican adult male suspected of being the smuggler, and seized both vessels.
In another instance, CBP AMO agents intercepted a maritime smuggling attempt and apprehended 13 foreign nationals off the coast of Florida. This came about after CBP AMO Marine Interdiction agents with the Miami Marine Unit identified a suspicious vessel operating without navigation lights and the operator of the vessel initially failed to comply when agents told him to stop.
They interdicted the vessel, a single-engine 18-foot center console, operated by an adult male Bahamian national. Once on board, they found 12 foreign nationals attempting to illegally enter the U.S. With the exception of one individual who was taken to a local hospital for medical issues, the rest were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Vigorous to be repatriated.
Under Trump, the U.S. Coast Guard has expanded its existing role in repatriation efforts, The Center Square reported.
In another multi-agency targeted operation in Palm Beach County, ICE and Border Patrol agents arrested 32 illegal foreign nationals with a range of criminal convictions.
They include drug possession, prostitution, illegal re-entry, resisting an officer, robbery, probation violation, fraud (illegal use of a credit card), larceny, cocaine possession, driving under the influence and possession of stolen property.
Among them were a 30-year-old Venezuelan man with criminal convictions for resisting arrest, drug possession and robbery; a 44-year-old Haitian female with criminal convictions for battery, drug possession, prostitution, and narcotic equipment possession; a 24-year-old Cuban male with criminal convictions for fraud, failure to appear, larceny, and probation violation; a 25-year-old Guatemalan male with criminal convictions for illegal re-entry, cocaine possession, and driving under the influence.
Those arrested were citizens of Guatemala, Haiti, Mexico, Honduras, El Salvador, Venezuela, Colombia, Brazil, Cuba, and Nicaragua – all living in the U.S. illegally. They remain in custody pending removal proceedings.
