Vandrick Nelson Smith, 33, Charged with Human Trafficking in Florida

A 33-year-old Bahamian national, Vandrick Nelson Smith, also known as Muggy and Vans, has been charged with human trafficking in Florida. According to a formal accusation filed in the Southern District of Florida, Smith was involved in a deadly human trafficking operation that resulted in the deaths of numerous migrants.

Thanks to a wide-ranging coordination and cooperation between U.S. and Bahamian authorities, Smith was apprehended in the Bahamas on March 6, 2023, pursuant to a U.S. request that involved charges filed under seal in the Southern District of Florida in November 2023.

According to court documents, Smith allegedly was involved in a people-smuggling organization that attempted to bring migrants illegally from the Bahamas to the United States by boat. The migrants, from countries including Colombia, Jamaica, the Dominican Republic, and Haiti, allegedly paid money to the organization to be smuggled into the United States.

As described in the formal accusation, Smith allegedly was personally involved in three maritime people-smuggling incidents, including one that resulted in five deaths.

“Vandrick Smith has been charged with organizing perilous people-smuggling operations, sending migrants by boat from the Bahamas to Florida,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, Chief of the Division’s Criminal Division. “As alleged in the formal accusation, the people-smuggling organization’s operations turned deadly when a boat carrying migrants capsized in January 2022.”

The Division is committed to combating people-smuggling organizations that exploit vulnerable migrants for financial gain and put their lives at risk. “People-smugglers exploit desperate people for money, and the consequences can be tragic,” Argentieri said.

Smith allegedly was involved in three maritime people-smuggling operations that occurred around March 6, 2021, January 22, 2022, and August 8, 2022. The formal accusation alleges that on the night of January 22, 2022, numerous migrants boarded a vessel in the Bahamas bound for Florida. Shortly after the vessel departed, the engines allegedly failed, and the vessel capsized. On January 25, 2022, U.S. Coast Guard rescued the sole surviving migrant, who was clinging to the top of the overturned vessel.

“People-smuggling operations put lives at risk for financial gain,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe of the Southern District of Florida. “People-smugglers take advantage of migrants’ hopes for a better life. Tragically, the perpetrators’ actions pose a grave danger to migrants. The U.S. Attorney’s Office will continue working with our partners to prosecute those who engage in illegal people-smuggling operations to protect vulnerable migrants and save lives.

The U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Miami special agent in charge, Anthony Salisbury, said, “HSI remains committed to working with our national and international partners to bring to justice daring criminals who prioritize financial gain over human life and safety.” The risks associated with maritime people-smuggling operations are extreme. “We urge the public to avoid venturing into these perilous journeys with criminal organizations that often result in tragedies,” Salisbury added.

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