2 men face human smuggling charges after capture in Martin County

By Derek Simmonsen (Contact)
Originally published 01:32 p.m., May 27, 2008
Updated 01:32 p.m., May 27, 2008

MARTIN COUNTY — Two men face federal charges after being accused of helping illegally smuggle Brazilian citizens into the United States last week.

Luiz Roberto Jardim and Yuen Cheng both face a charge of conspiring to smuggle aliens into the country, according to an affidavit filed in the case. They will be arraigned on the charges June 6, but are temporarily being detained without bail.

The investigation began Friday after a U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration agent saw a boat at an address in the Bahamas known to be used by smugglers to bring Brazilian citizens into the country illegally.

The boat was registered to a Port St. Lucie address and the agent notified Immigrations and Customs Enforcement, the affidavit states.

Immigrations and Customs Enforcement put out a bulletin to local law enforcement agencies to watch out for the boat.

Around 1:30 p.m., Martin County deputies saw the boat in Sandsprit Park and saw it was being loaded onto a trailer, the affidavit states.

Authorities found three suspected illegal immigrants, two hiding in the boat and a third in the truck. Jardim was the truck's driver and Cheng was sitting in the passenger seat, the affidavit states.

One Brazilian man said he flew from his home country to Cuba, then to the Bahamas before paying to get on the boat into the United States. None of the men had proper immigration papers and two of them spoke only Portuguese.