A crack-smoking Bahamian man pleaded guilty on Thursday to smuggling Haitians into the United States on his boat, Reuters reported.
Naaman Davis, 53, was charged in Miami federal court in October. He is due for sentencing at the end of July. If convicted, he faces life in prison.
Davis was hired to take a group of people from Bimini, a small island in the Bahamas, to the United States on a 24-foot boat at night. However, the boat stopped several times during the trip and "during one of these times Davis smoked crack-cocaine using a pipe which he had brought with him," according to court documents.
Around 1 a.m., the boat capsized, trapping five people underneath and killing four Haitians. About one hour later, the Coast Guard arrived at the scene and rescued Davis and other survivors.
One of those rescued survivors was convicted in 1998 for selling 200 pounds of marijuana and laundering more than $40,000 of it's proceeds, Reuters said.
Four other survivors -- Pierre Louisias, Widly Cajuste, Fallonne Alouidor, and a 15-year-old -- were released from U.S. immigration custody. The status of the another survivor, Vincent Anderson, is unknown, The Miami Herald said.
The victims were identified as Kerline Mercy, 25, Lodilia Escarment, 36, Carmen Valeris, 30, and Woodline Alexis, 30.
According to NBC News, prosecutors will seek to dismiss some charges against Davis, including manslaughter, after his sentencing.
