Haitian migrant boat with guns, drugs intercepted in Florida: What we know

Over two dozen people this past month were discovered by Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers being smuggled into Florida, according to FWC reports. Included in the group were unaccompanied children and armed smugglers attempting to make their way into Sebastian Inlet on Feb. 29, FWC said in a statement released Friday. Law enforcement officials are continuing to investigate the case in which guns and drugs were also seized from a 42-foot vessel in in Brevard County near the Indian River County line. Gov. Ron DeSantis used it as a prime example for tougher laws.

What did FWC officers discover on migrant boat?

FWC reports said the boat's operator was armed. There were 25 people, including five unaccompanied children, on board the boat entering the country. Officers also found firearms, night vision gear and drugs, the report said. The exact details of the interdiction were not released.

Who is investigating the smuggling operation?

The Brevard County Sheriff’s Office and U.S. Customs and Border Protection are carrying out an investigation into the boat. It was not reported if charges had been filed in the case as of Monday morning.

What did Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis say about armed migrant boat?

DeSantis pointed to the incident as an example for the need to deter illegal immigration in a press conference this past weekend. Two separate laws signed by the governor would crack down on penalties for undocumented immigrants driving without a license and those who are re-entering the country after previously being deported.

“In their boat, in their vessel, they had firearms, they had drugs, they had night vision gear and were boating very recklessly, which would potentially endanger other folks,” DeSantis told reporters on Friday.

DeSantis said int he press conference that the migrants were deported by the U.S. Coast Guard.

This incident comes two months after DeSantis announced that he is sending approximately 1,000 Florida National Guard troops to Texas to assist in security along the Mexican border.

Last week, DeSantis also announced that he was shoring up immigration security in the Florida Keys, where he deployed "250 additional officers and soldiers and over a dozen air and sea craft to the southern coast of Florida to protect our state."

This article originally appeared on Florida Today: Haitian migrant boat with guns, drugs intercepted near Sebastian, Florida