A traffic stop in the Florida Keys led to the arrest of Victor Rafael Arcia Albeja, a 32-year-old Miami man who was later convicted of kidnapping and torturing Cuban migrants.

Human Smuggling Operation

Arcia Albeja was part of a violent human smuggling operation that involved kidnapping and extorting Cuban migrants, as well as torturing and forcing them into labor. He was convicted by a federal jury on February 20 for his role in the scheme, which included charges of conspiracy to kidnap, four counts of kidnapping, and four counts of violent crimes in furtherance of racketeering.

The operation involved transporting Cuban nationals by boat from Cayo Coco, Cuba to Key Largo, and then demanding $15,000 in smuggling fees per person from the aliens’ families and friends. Members of the group used threats and violence to get them to comply, and when some failed to pay, they were shown a video showing a man being beaten with a machete before he was shot to death.

Arcia Albeja faces up to life in prison at sentencing. Five other men, including Osmel Benitez of Miami and Victor Manuel Perez Cardenas of Tampa, previously pleaded guilty to their roles in the operation.

Original reporting: NBC6 Miami — read the source article.