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BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, Jan 25 2016 – The St. Kitts-Nevis police say they are searching for 14 illegal immigrants, including 11 Haitian nationals, who entered the twin island Federation earlier this month on a sail boat.
A police statement said that the Haitians and three Dominican Republic nationals had arrived here on January 14 on the sailing boat “Miss Over”.
Last weekend, the public relations officer for the Coast Guard Captain Kayode Sutton said a joint police and Defence Force operation had resulted in three people being taken into custody.
“The Coast Guard got a call about a suspicious vessel, there were undocumented persons on board and due process was engaged to inform the necessary authorities that have jurisprudence over such a vessel. The Police, Customs and Coast Guard got involved and we understand that two persons were apprehended by the police along with the captain of the vessel but there are 14 persons still at large.
“They probably would have blended into society and the important thing is that the general public should be aware of these persons and be vigilant if you see someone who does not seem familiar to you. It is the responsibility of every citizen to say something, call the police station in your area and identify any suspicious person” Capt. Sutton said.
The authorities said that the master of the vessel, Wensley George, a native of Dominica, was found guilty on two charges in relation to the incident.
He had been charged with knowingly assisting Francess Pyton and Edma Toto, who are not permitted to enter the federation. He was fined EC$2,000 on each charge and is to remain in police custody pending deportation.
Police say the illegal migrants may not be fluent in English and may speak French Creole or Spanish.
