Smuggling Cheerleaders




(Miami, Florida) Using phony documents in a human smuggling scheme, a group of 16 foreign nationals traveled from Colombia last September to Miami for a cheerleading competition. Seven of the 16 have been prosecuted in the case and convicted.

The last smuggler, 28-year-old Duastin Salazar, was sentenced to time served this week after pleading guilty to visa fraud.

The investigation into the possibility of human smuggling was initiated in Bogota, Colombia by the U.S. Homeland Security Investigations division in Miami. They learned of an organization involved in the smuggling of Colombian nationals into the U.S. through various methods and locations, agents said.

"We continually evaluate areas where criminal organizations may attempt to exploit our systems and processes to deny them access," said Mike Shea, acting special agent in charge of ICE HSI in Miami.

During the course of the investigation, HSI agents identified various leaders and members of the group and discovered their scheme. Upon the group's arrival in Miami, the leader was separated from the rest and taken into custody. When interviewed, he confessed to not being a member of any cheerleading team and that he planned to leave the group and remain in the U.S. beyond his visa's expiration date, officials said.

No charges were filed against the nine ersatz cheerleaders who were returned to Colombia.

Evidently the prosecutors exercised leniency after considering the creativity and originality of the smuggling attempt. An ICE spokesman contributed that the scheme was "definitely unique."



Colombian Cheerleaders
Thanks to TJR.