Woman pleads guilty to smuggling Cuban migrants

Woman pleads guilty to smuggling Cuban migrants
By - Associated Press - Tuesday, October 7, 2014

MIAMI (AP) - A Coast Rican woman has pleaded guilty to smuggling in more
than 25 immigrants from Cuba to the U.S.

Forty-nine-year-old Mercedes Morera Roche was extradited to the U.S.
from Panama in August.

According to the plea agreement, Roche admitted organizing a human
smuggling network involving fraudulent identities and travel documents,
safe house locations and transport between 2004 and 2011.

Once in the U.S., she directed the immigrants to destroy the false
documents.

In addition to smuggling in migrants with the help of corrupt airline
officials, prosecutors say Roche coordinated smuggling unauthorized
immigrants through land.

She solicited payments of up to $10,000 for each immigrant.

Roche will be sentenced on Dec. 11.

Source: Woman pleads guilty to smuggling Cuban migrants - Washington
Times -
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