Four Dominican fishermen were charged in court Friday for poaching in Bahamian waters.
Leidy Trinidad, Pedio Cabera, Hector Ventura and Randis Tabarez all appeared before Magistrate Carolyn Vogt Evans and were charged with illegal fishing and possession of the Nassau grouper.
The men all pleaded guilty to the charges.
Trinidad, Cabera, and Ventura were fined $20,000 or eight months in jail, and Tabarez was fined $10,000 or four months in jail.
Their vessel and fisheries product were all confiscated and the men were remanded to the Bahamas Department of Corrections (BDOC).
According to Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) officials, an additional 20 Donomican fishermen were apprehended by Cuban authorities, after defence force officers notified Cuban border authorities of the Dominicans fleeing into Cuban waters.
