Executive Summary
- Three men received federal prison sentences of up to 408 months for a violent human smuggling and kidnapping conspiracy in Florida.
- The operation involved smuggling migrants from Cuba, holding them captive on a Miami farm, and torturing them to extort money from their families.
- Victims were beaten, subjected to mock hangings, and threatened with death unless their relatives made payments.
- Three additional alleged co-conspirators are currently awaiting trial in connection with the case.
Three men have been sentenced to decades in federal prison for their roles in a violent human smuggling and kidnapping operation that involved torturing migrants from Cuba and extorting their families, federal officials announced. The conspiracy spanned from Cuba to South Florida and Louisiana.
U.S. District Judge Roy K. Altman sentenced Osmel Benitez, 40, of Miami, to 408 months in prison; Jhonny Walther Izaguirre Lopez, 45, of Baton Rouge, to 346 months; and Victor Manuel Perez Cardenas, 39, of Tampa, to 210 months.
“This was human smuggling at its most brutal—marked by kidnapping, extortion, and torture,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. FBI Miami Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles added that the “violent, inhumane conduct” was “almost beyond imagination.”
According to court documents, the men pleaded guilty to a range of charges, including conspiracy to kidnap, forced labor, and firearms offenses. The operation involved smuggling individuals by boat from Cuba to a deserted shoreline in Key Largo. The migrants were then transported to a farm in Miami where they were held captive.
At the farm, Benitez and other members of the group assaulted the victims with a stick and a machete. They also staged mock hangings of two individuals, recording one incident where a man had a noose placed around his neck while being struck. The footage was sent to the victim’s family to coerce payment.
When four captives were unable to pay, Izaguirre Lopez arranged to transport them to Louisiana to work for his construction firm to settle their debts. He was intercepted by law enforcement on the Florida Turnpike in Sumter County on May 20, 2024, while transporting the victims.
Further Proceedings
Benitez, Perez Cardenas, and Izaguirre Lopez, who are citizens of Cuba and Honduras, are expected to face deportation after serving their sentences. Three additional alleged co-conspirators — Victor Rafael Arcia Albeja, Jose Angel Marrero Rodriguez, and Yoelys Prada Ramos — are awaiting trial. It is important to note that all individuals are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law.