Verdant Roosevelt Scott, Alien Smuggling, Florida 2024

A brazen attempt to smuggle dozens of undocumented migrants into the U.S. has been foiled by law enforcement off the coast of Miami-Dade County.

Five individuals have been charged in connection with the alleged smuggling venture, which involved a small, overloaded vessel that was detected by radar traveling west toward Miami-Dade County on April 26.

According to court records, Verdant Roosevelt Scott, 38, of The Bahamas, was operating the vessel when it was interdicted by law enforcement approximately five miles offshore. When approached, the vessel was found to be operating without navigation lights.

Scott, who was taken into custody, is charged with 24 counts of encouraging and inducing aliens to enter the U.S. and two counts of aiding or assisting certain aliens to enter based on his role as the vessel’s operator. If convicted, he faces up to 10 years in prison.

The remaining four defendants, Zamfir Nitu, 50, of Romania, Donald Coote, 37, of Jamaica, Sergio Alejandro Correa Ramirez, 30, of Colombia, and Gheorghe Ion Chiperi, 43, of Moldova, are each charged with illegal reentry of a deported alien. Coote and Nitu face up to 20 years in prison due to their prior aggravated felony convictions, while Correa Ramirez and Chiperi face up to two years in prison.

Law enforcement detected the suspect vessel on radar traveling west toward Miami-Dade County. Shortly after midnight on April 26, a law enforcement vessel interdicted the boat approximately five miles offshore. When law enforcement approached, the vessel was operating without navigation lights.

All 25 aliens onboard the small center-console vessel, including Scott, were transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Cutter WINSLOW GRIESSER for biometric screening and records checks. Those checks revealed that Coote, Correa Ramirez, Nitu, and Chiperi had previously been deported from the U.S.

The remaining 20 aliens were not charged and were repatriated to The Bahamas.

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