CHARLOTTE AMALIE — A British Virgin Islands boat captain has been charged with illegally smuggling four illegal migrants through St. John’s waters.
Jose Miguel Hodge, 31, of Road Town, Tortola, was charged with alien smuggling, U.S. Attorney Delia L. Smith said today.
Also charged were Junia Orelus, 32, Clawens Destin, 18, and Jean Louis Martellus, 27, all of Haiti, and Eudys Santana Santos, 33, of the Dominican Republic, with unlawful entry into the United States, according to U.S. Attorney Smith.
According to court records, on February 7, 2025, Customs and Border Protection Air Marine Operations agents observed Hodge operating a vessel traveling from BVI waters and later arriving at Annaberg Bay, St. John, without navigational lights.
The agents intercepted and boarded Hodge’s vessel and found Orelus, Destin and Metellus, all illegal aliens, onboard. Santana Santos, also an illegal alien, was found at Annaberg Bay waiting to provide transportation to at least one of the illegal migrant onboard Hodge’s vessel.
This case is being investigated by U.S. Customs and Border Protection Air Marine Operations (CBP-AMO) and U.S. Homeland Security Investigations (HSI). It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Everard E. Potter.
United States Attorney Smith reminds the public that a criminal complaint is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
