By DENISE MAYCOCK
Tribune Freeport Reporter
dmaycock@tribunemedia.net
THREE Bahamians, with 28 Chinese and one Colombian, were taken into custody on Sunday evening by Bahamian authorities in connection with a suspected human smuggling operation in Grand Bahama.
In a separate incident, 12 Chinese were apprehended on Saturday when the vessel they were on capsized in waters off Grand Bahama.
That brought the total number of Chinese immigrants taken into custody during a 24-hour period in Freeport to 40.
Department of Immigration press officer Napthali Cooper reported that around 11pm on Sunday immigration officials received information concerning a group of Chinese nationals at a location in the Lucaya area who were said to be making preparatory steps to be smuggled into the United States.
A team of immigration and Defence Force officers went to the location where they discovered 22 Chinese men and six women, along with one Colombian man.
Mr Cooper said that the officers also took into custody two Bahamian men and one Bahamian woman who were also found with the group.
Investigations revealed that all of the immigrants had arrived legally in the Bahamas, but had overstayed their time.
Chinese rescued from capsized vessel
On Saturday, a group of 12 Chinese were discovered clinging to an overturned vessel between West End and Grand Cay.
According to reports, sometime around 1pm the Royal Bahamas Police Force Marine Division, along with immigration officials, were notified that a vessel with possible illegal migrants on board was in distress and had possibly overturned in the water.
When authorities arrived at the location, they met with persons on board a US registered vessel who had rescued the migrants from the overturned boat. There were ten women and two men.
Mr Cooper said that a pleasure boat was passing in the area when they saw the Chinese clinging to the overturned vessel without any life vests on. They assisted the group on board their vessel and remained in the area until officials arrived and took the group into custody.
Bahamian authorities went to the location of the overturned vessel to check for any additional migrants, but a diver found no one else under the vessel.
The group was transferred to Royal Bahamas Police Force vessel base and taken to the Department of Immigration headquarters where they were processed.
All of the Chinese had entered the Bahamas legally but had overstayed their visitor’s time. Mr Cooper said it is believed that there was an attempt by someone to smuggle the Chinese into the US when the vessel capsized.
He said that an investigation continues into matter as to who were the operators of the vessel.
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