Forty Chinese immigrants were charged thousands of dollars to be smuggled in yachts from the Bahamas into Florida, according to federal court documents that allege a scheme involving luxury liners ferrying passengers into the country without legal permission to enter the US.

Three men are facing human smuggling charges outlined in federal indictments filed this month.

Rocco Oppedisano is accused of piloting a 63-foot Sunseeker yacht named INXS Finally with 14 Chinese passengers and one Bahamian aboard during a December voyage, according to a federal indictment filed on 7 January, according to the Miami Herald.

In separate cases, the US Coast Guard stopped two ships from entering South Florida and arrested crew members who are accused of bringing 26 Chinese passengers and one Bahamian passenger aboard their ships, which contained more than $300,000 in cash.

Federal authorities discovered $118,000 behind one yacht's wall panelling in the master bedroom, according to court documents. That ship's captain, James Bradford, allegedly told investigators that he didn't check whether his passengers had travel documents that granted them legal permission to enter the US.

"Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Show all 15 1 /15 "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures A road is flooded during the passing of Hurricane Dorian in Freeport, Grand Bahama. AP "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Hurricane Dorian's eye taken by Nasa astronaut Nick Hague, from aboard the International Space Station. The station orbits more than 200 miles above the Earth. Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall on the Bahamas as category 5 and now reclassified as category 4, is expected to continue on its projected path towards the Florida coast. Nasa/EPA "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Buildings damaged by Hurricane Dorian are swept by deep floodwater in the Abaco Islands in The Bahamas. Latrae Rahming "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Tropical Storm Dorian as it approached the Bahamas. NOAA/AFP/Getty "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Strong winds blow the tops of trees while whisking up water from the surface of a canal that leads to the sea in Freeport, Grand Bahama AP "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures A woman walks in a flooded street after the effects of Hurricane Dorian arrived in Nassau, Bahamas. REUTERS "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Uprooted trees, fallen power lines and debris scatter a road as Hurricane Dorian sweeps through Marsh Harbour in The Bahamas Ramond A King via Reuters "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Buildings damaged by Hurricane Dorian are swept by deep floodwater in the Abaco Islands in The Bahamas Latrae Rahming "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures A building is strewn with debris after its roof was torn off by Hurricane Dorian in the Abaco Islands in The Bahamas Latrae Rahming "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Uprooted trees, fallen power lines and debris scatter a road as Hurricane Dorian sweeps through Marsh Harbour in The Bahamas Ramond A King via Reuters "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Hurricane Dorian is pictured from a plane flying inside the eye of the storm Garrett Black/US Air Force "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Inmates from a Florida jail fill sandbags to hand out to residents ahead of Hurricane Dorian in Cocoa, Florida on September 1 EPA "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Residents stock up at Wal-Mart in preparation for Hurricane Dorian in Orlando, Florida Getty "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures A shop is boarded-up ahead of Hurricane Dorian in Cocoa, Florida on September 1 Reuters "Huge damage" as record Hurricane Dorian hits Bahamas: In pictures Waves batter a pier in Marsh Harbour in The Bahamas on September 1e Mark Hall vie Reuters

It's unclear in court documents why the Chinese passengers tried to enter the US through the Bahamas, but the archipelago has seen a spike in Chinese workers in recent years, many entering the country illegally, as Chinese investors funnel billions of dollars into hotels and resorts in the nation that sits just 50 nautical miles from Miami.

Among the passengers on Mr Oppedisano's yacht was Chinese national Ying Lian Li, who was deported from the US in 2019 and was attempting to re-enter the country, federal investigators allege.

Federal authorities confiscated more than $200,000 in US and Bahamian currency from aboard Mr Oppedisano's yacht.

He told a magistrate judge that he sold property as well as his Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Fiat cars to pay for the legal costs related to his immigration status.

He is scheduled to be arraigned in federal court on 22 January.