Man Sentenced For Human Smuggling, Ramming Coast Guard Boat

SAN DIEGO, CA — A man who rammed a Coast Guard vessel with a boat off the coast of Coronado during a human smuggling attempt was sentenced Wednesday to five years in prison.

Jesus Jeovanny Alcaraz-Valdez, 33, transported around a dozen undocumented Mexican and Guatemalan migrants on Dec. 17, 2022, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Though some of the migrants could not swim, prosecutors say, Alcaraz- Valdez instructed them to remove their life jackets and enter waist-deep water. The U.S. Attorney's Office said the migrants agreed to pay between $13,000 and $24,000 in order to be brought into the United States.

After the people were dropped off, Alcaraz-Valdez's boat was spotted heading toward Mexico.

The U.S. Attorney's Office said a Coast Guard vessel tried to get him to stop his boat, but he ignored the commands. Later, he turned his boat toward the Coast Guard vessel and rammed it twice with his boat's bow, prosecutors said.

Alcaraz-Valdez's boat was disabled after officers shot out its outboard engine. Four officers on the Coast Guard vessel sustained minor injuries due to being rammed by Alcaraz-Valdez's boat, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

— City News Service