The Tribune

A VESSEL containing 80 Haitian migrants was intercepted near the Exuma Chain on Monday evening.

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) reported the sailing sloop was apprehended after acting on information they had received earlier that day.

RBDF Patrol Craft P-44, steered by Chief Petty Officer Theodore Thompson, stopped the 40ft sailing vessel six nautical miles west of Beacon Cay near the top of the Exuma chain of Islands shortly after 6pm.

Petty Officer Brian Anderson assisted with transporting the migrants to the capital in patrol craft P-129 at which point they were turned over to Immigration officials for further processing.

Over the weekend, nine Cuban migrants were brought to Grand Bahama after they were intercepted by the US Coast Guard in Bahamian waters.

According to Immigration official Napthali Cooper, the migrants - eight males and one female - were discovered onboard a rustic vessel and taken into the custody by Coast Guards.

They had left Cuba on May 17 and were trying to reach Florida. They were brought to Grand Bahama on Saturday and turned over to Immigration, he said.

Mr Cooper said the nine migrants were examined by personnel of the Disease Surveillance Unit and flown to the New Providence this week to await repatriation.