MIGRANTS CAUGHT ON YACHT: Police investigate smuggling of mixed bag of nationals into The Bahamas

Bahamian man in police custody suspected of being the smuggler

NASSAU, BAHAMAS — Minister of Labour and Immigration Keith Bell said yesterday that an investigation has been launched into the most recent interdiction of dozens of undocumented migrants from Haiti, Jamaica, Cuba, Ecuador, Romania and Turkey on one boat.

Keith Bell.

Bell’s comments follow weeks of apprehensions and the detention of more than 1,000 undocumented Haitian migrants in Bahamian waters as Haiti continues to face challenges ranging from the ongoing pandemic, consecutive natural disasters including a recent earthquake and political unrest.

Speaking to Eyewitness News on the matter outside Cabinet, Bell advised that there were two recent interdictions: one vessel with 28 Cuban migrants on board and one yacht with 44 people on board, not including minors.

Bell noted that the latter apprehension was particularly of note given that there were multiple nationalities on board, along with one Bahamian man who is believed to be the suspected smuggler.

Among those migrants detained were 10 Colombian men, two Colombian women, three Ecuadorian men and a minor, five Ecuadorian women, five Jamaican men, six Romanian men, one Romanian woman, one Turkish man, five Haitian men, and six Haitian women — two with minor children and one currently pregnant.

“We are pursuing an investigation to determine where these migrants came from, where they were housed,” Bell said.

“It’s obviously a major concern, so all of our law enforcement agencies are working together to investigate the matter thoroughly and to also ensure there is an effective and quick prosecution.”

The immigration minister noted that the apprehension has raised concerns of illegal harboring in the country that warrants a deeper investigation.

He advised that the Bahamian man found aboard the yacht is in police custody and the group is expected to be charged this week.

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