APPREHENSION OF HAITIAN CARGO VESSELS _

Coral Harbour Base, 19 April, 2015 (RBDF):    Acting on information received, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force reconnaissance aircraft sighted two suspicious vessels near Eleuthera that were intercepted and boarded by crewmembers of Her Majesty’s Bahamian Ship DURWARD KNOWLES on Saturday 18 April 2015.

As a result of the boarding’s, four undocumented passengers were found along with discrepancies with ownership of the vessels. The two vessels were subsequently escorted to Nassau where Police, Immigration and Customs Officials assisted in conducting further investigations for illegal drugs, immigration status of crewmembers, cargo verification, and vessel ownership.

Thus far, one Haitian national has been admitted to the Carmichael Road Detention Center by Immigration authority. Investigations by agencies involved are ongoing.