Agent 'smuggled baseball players'

Baseball is Cuba's national sport

Prosecutors in Miami have charged a sports agent with smuggling Cuban baseball players into the US.

Gustavo "Gus" Dominguez and four alleged accomplices are accused of using a speedboat to bring 19 men to Florida from Cuba in 2004.

Prosecutors say the players were then sent on to California in the hope they would be signed by Major League teams.

Mr Dominguez pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. If convicted, the men face up to 10 years in prison.

People-smuggling operations from Cuba to the US are common, and taking Cuban migrants on the 145km (90 miles) trip across the Florida Straits can be highly lucrative.

But it is the first time a sports agent has been charged with smuggling, according to the Miami Herald newspaper.

Baseball is Cuba's national sport and the country is believed to have many gifted young players seeking to play in the US.