Luxury Florida yacht is stopped with THIRTY Haitian migrants crammed inside in shocking people smuggling bust

A luxury yacht in Florida was stopped with over two dozen Haitian migrants crammed inside in a shocking smuggling operation.

Miami-Dade County officials stopped the 60-foot vessel last Friday morning near the Stiltsville homes off Cape Florida in Key Biscayne, as reported by the Miami Herald. 

It's unclear if the boat was traveling directly from Haiti, or if the 30 migrants had made any previous stops to pay smugglers to bring them to the US.

Marine patrol officers were aided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Border Patrol and Coast Guard and US Customs in the operation. 

Border Patrol released an image showing the migrants, mostly men, crammed inside the yacht's interior below deck.

Border Patrol released an image showing the migrants, mostly men, crammed inside the yacht's interior below deck

A luxury yacht in Florida was stopped with over two dozen Haitian migrants crammed inside in a shocking smuggling operation

Marine patrol officers were aided by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, U.S. Border Patrol and Coast Guard and US Customs in the operation

The Coast Guard reportedly put the migrants on another vessel to be returned to Haiti.

One smuggling suspect was turned over to Homeland Security officials. 

The bust comes as the US expected a surge of Haitian migrants after several gangs in the country launched coordinated attacks in February.

More than 33,000 people fled Port Au Prince in just under two weeks after gangs began pillaging homes and attacking state institutions.

More than 2,500 people were killed or wounded across Haiti from January to March, a more than 50 percent increase compared with the same period last year, according to a recent U.N. report.

The majority of those displaced have traveled to Haiti’s southern region, which is generally peaceful compared with Port-au-Prince, which has an estimated population of 3 million and remains largely paralyzed by gang violence.

The gang attacks began on February 29, with gunmen targeting police stations and the main international airport.

They also stormed Haiti’s two biggest prisons and released more than 4,000 inmates.

More than 70 percent of people who fled Port-au-Prince between March 8-20 said gang violence had already left them homeless and that they had been living with relatives or in crowded, makeshift shelters. 

The bust comes as the US has seen a surge of Haitian migrants after several gangs in the country launched coordinated attacks in February

More than 2,500 people were killed or wounded across Haiti from January to March, a more than 50 percent increase compared with the same period last year

More than 70 percent of people who fled Port-au-Prince between March 8-20 said gang violence had already left them homeless

Weeks of violence have forced some 18 hospitals to stop working and caused a shortage of medical supplies as Haiti’s biggest seaport and main international airport remain closed.

Gunfire still echoes daily throughout Port-au-Prince, though the gang violence has somewhat subsided in certain areas.

Haiti’s largest public hospital, the State University Hospital, is among those closed. Located in downtown Port-au-Prince, it has been seized and looted by gangs that also pillaged nearby pharmacies.

While some private clinics and hospitals are operating, they remain inaccessible to the majority of people in a country where 60 percent of the population earn less than $2 a day.