A 46-year-old man identified as Nelson Batista has been charged with illegally entering the United States by hiding aboard a cargo ship that traveled from the Dominican Republic to Tampa, according to a federal complaint filed June 25 in the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida.

The complaint alleges that Batista boarded the Canada Pearl, a bulk carrier, without permission and remained aboard during the vessel’s international voyage.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers were notified on June 23 that Batista would arrive in Tampa as a stowaway, and the ship’s captain informed shipping agent Hunter Villard, who then alerted CBP.

Federal law prohibits individuals from boarding or concealing themselves on vessels or aircraft without authorization while traveling across state or national borders.

If convicted, Batista faces up to five years in prison, a fine, or both.

Prosecutors say the evidence establishes each element of the offense, including that he boarded without permission and remained aboard during international travel.

A review of federal law enforcement databases indicated that Batista had two prior encounters with CBP between 2005 and 2006, when he was discovered as a stowaway on vessels arriving in Corpus Christi, Texas, from foreign locations.

The complaint does not specify the origins of those earlier voyages.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Christopher Tuite approved the complaint on June 25.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Erik Daab, Deputy Director of the Criminal Justice Division in the U.S. Attorney’s Office in New Jersey, is prosecuting the case, and Tampa attorney David Dee is representing Batista.

Sea stowaway incidents reaching Florida ports are uncommon but have occurred, including three individuals intercepted by the Coast Guard and CBP a few miles offshore from PortMiami in January 2019, three stowaways found aboard the cargo ship Melbourne Strait at Port Everglades in June 2013, and four individuals apprehended after jumping ship at the mouth of Port Everglades in 2012, whose previous port of call was Puerto Cortes, Honduras.

The case is pending, and the court has not yet scheduled a trial date.