Coast Guard stops another overloaded migrant boat off Puerto Rico

The U.S. Coast Guard stopped another overloaded migrant boat in the Mona Passage between Puerto Rico and the Dominican Republic last week, less than a month after a similar journey in the same area ended in tragedy.

Read more Miami Vice is back — and Miami-Dade County is ready to give the movie $1 million

The 30-foot boat was about 70 nautical miles northwest of Aguadilla, Puerto Rico. A Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew spotted the vessel. The crew of the Cutter Winslow Griesser took all of the passengers on board.

Most of the migrants — 55 men and four women — said they were from the Dominican Republic. Six men and a woman said they were from Haiti, according to the Coast Guard.

In late September, a similar vessel that was also overloaded capsized in the Mona Passage, killing three people. The Coast Guard rescued 49 passengers, but called off its search after three days with 10 people still missing. Three men were arrested by federal agents and face the death penalty if convicted.

Read more What the Miami Heat’s return to home court means for downtown traffic

READ MORE: Three charged in deadly migrant boat capsizing off Puerto Rico

“I’m proud of my crew and the Coast Guard aircrews for stopping what could have been a treacherous journey for all onboard an overloaded migrant vessel Friday night,” Lt. Alex Kearney, the Winslow Griesser’s commanding officer, said in a statement. “They saved 66 people from a dangerously overloaded vessel attempting to transit across a vast ocean with little to no safety equipment and no regard to safety of human life at sea.”

All but three of the passengers were transferred to the Dominican Republic Navy on Saturday, the Coast Guard said. Three are in federal custody facing charges of trying to illegally re-enter the United States, the Coast Guard said.

“These voyages are extremely dangerous, and anyone conducting illegal smuggling migrant ventures may be subject to prosecution and imprisonment,” Kearney said.

Read more With Depth An Issue, 1 Patriots Rookie Has Risen to the Occasion