A Bahamian man could face up to 20 years in a US prison after pleading guilty to alien smuggling charges.

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) officers arrested 31-year-old Shakerio Jones in December after spotting him travelling by boat from The Bahamas to the United States.

Authorities said they tracked the vessel as it crossed into US waters off the coast of Miami-Dade, then intercepted it and ordered it to stop.

All 13 people on board were detained. Officials confirmed that none had legal permission to enter the country. The group included nationals from Haiti, the United Kingdom, Honduras, Ireland, India, and The Bahamas.

Jones had previously been deported from the United States.

“The CBP officers brought Jones to shore to face charges. The rest of aliens were returned to The Bahamas,” a US press release said.

He pleaded guilty to alien smuggling on April 24 before Magistrate Judge Edwin Torres. On April 30, US District Judge Jacqueline Becerra accepted the plea and formally found him guilty.

Jones now faces up to 20 years in prison, followed by up to three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000. He is scheduled to be sentenced on 18 July in Miami.

According to The Tribune’s records, Jones was previously charged in 2021 with three counts of attempted murder in Grand Bahama.

The charges were linked to a Christmas Day shooting in West End. He was remanded in 2022 for trial, though the status of that case remains unclear.