16Marine Branch Officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force were dispatched yesterday afternoon following reports that a suspicious vessel was seen making its way towards West Caicos.
Acting on the information received, at around 2:51 pm, the officers, via the Sea Protector vessel, intercepted a migrant vessel about 3.5 miles south-west of the Bluff, Providenciales.
The migrant vessel was found carrying a total of 202 illegal migrants – 40 females; three of whom are minors and 162 males, including one minor.
The illegal migrants were handed over to the Immigration Task Force.
Additionally, Marine Officers seized four packages containing what appeared to be cannabis, floating in close proximity to the illegal migrant vessel.
The suspected drugs were handed over to officers of Grace Bay Police Post.
The RTCIPF can confirm, this is the eighth interception for the year.
Acting Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams said: “I would like to congratulate the Marine Branch for yet another successful operation.
“The protection of the TCI border remains a high priority for the RTCIPF and we remain grateful for the collaborations between our regional and international partners. Through several agencies, including the RTCIPF Marine Branch, Maritime Operations Center and the Immigration Task Force working cohesively, this sloop was identified and intercepted, preventing over 200 irregular migrants from entering the TCI illegally.
“These are challenging operations in a dangerous environment, and I wish to thank members of the public for their continued support of the Force by sharing information with us. We are extremely grateful and by working in partnership with your police service, together we can certainly make a difference in building a safer TCI.”
The public is being advised to notify the closest police station or to contact Crime Stoppers and give any information about illegal activity anonymously.
