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Coast Guard Intercepts Vessel Carrying 3 Suspected Smugglers, 11 Migrants Off Boca Raton

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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - The US Coast Guard said it interdicted a 22-foot cabin cruiser carrying eleven migrants and three suspected smugglers over the weekend.

The Coast Guard says it happened 9 miles east of Boca Raton when one of their airplanes spotted a suspicious vessel on Friday night.

A total of 14 people were taken from the vessel and turned over to U.S. Customs and Border Protection, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard said, cutter Moray embarked two Dominican migrants, nine Ecuadorian migrants and three suspected smugglers.

"Migrants should not attempt to smuggle themselves into the country," said Capt. Jason Ryan, Coast Guard 7th District chief of enforcement. "They not only risk going to jail but also endanger their lives by entrusting smugglers to bring them across the water with little or no lifesaving equipment onboard."

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