A sloop carrying 65 would be illegal immigrants (52 males and 13 females) was intercepted six miles off South Dock by the marine division, Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force (RTCIPF) at 11:55pm, Thursday, 25 December 2014.
The vessel was captured following a report passed to the police by immigration staff at the government’s coastal radar station.
All Marine Branch assets and officers have since returned safely to Marine Base incident free.
The 65 individuals have been handed over to immigration officials for processing and will be deported at the earliest opportunity. All appear to be of Haitian origin. The sloop was also searched and handed over to Immigration authorities for disposal.
On December 25th 2013, a sloop arrived which resulted in the unfortunate death of 17 illegal migrants.
The Police can be contacted anonymously on 911 or Crime Stoppers anonymously on 1-800-8477. Tips can also be submitted anonymously in English, French or Spanish on either www.crimestoppers.tc or on Facebook as a fan of Crime Stoppers Turks & Caicos. Crime Stoppers tips are received in the USA.
