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Two charged in smuggling run that killed Cuban boy

MIAMI - A Cuban smuggling attempt that ended with a capsized speedboat and killed a young boy has resulted in federal charges against two men who allegedly organized the ill-fated trip, U.S. authorities said Friday.

Alexander Gil-Rodriguez and Luis Manuel Taboada-Cabrera were charged in U.S. District Court with conspiring to bring illegal migrants to the United States. Both were described in a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement document as Cuban nationals who had been paroled into the United States.

The pair was allegedly responsible for loading 28 Cubans onto a 33-foot, Florida-registered speedboat on Oct. 12, including 6-year-old Julian Villasuso and his parents. The boat sank shortly after it was intercepted in the Florida Straits about 45 miles south of Key West by the U.S. Coast Guard.

Everyone aboard the boat was rescued except for Julian, who drowned after he was trapped underneath when the boat capsized. The boy was buried in Florida and his parents, Julian Villasuso and Maizy Hurtado, were allowed to enter the United States.

Immigration and Customs Enforcement Agent Jeffrey Barber said in an affidavit filed in federal court that the speedboat first tried to evade the Coast Guard and then stopped. The Cubans on board suddenly moved to one side of the vessel, shifting the weight on board and causing water to pour over its stern.

The two alleged smugglers were in custody on Friday and could appear in federal court as early as next week.

[Last modified October 22, 2005, 01:13:18]