Marine Branch Officers of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force were dispatched yesterday (March 21st ) afternoon, having received reports of a suspicious vessel heading towards West Caicos.
Based on the information received, at around 1.08 pm, the officers intercepted a grey and black Haitian migrant vessel.
The migrant vessel was found carrying a total of ONE HUNDRED and EIGHTY-FOUR (184) illegal migrants- THIRTY FEMALES (30); and ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY-FOUR MALES (154).
The illegal migrants were handed over to the Immigration Task Force.
The RTCIPF can confirm, this is the ninth interception for the year.
Acting Commissioner of Police Rodney Adams said: “I would like to congratulate the Marine Branch for yet another successful operation.
“We remain grateful for the collaborations between our regional and international partners. Several agencies, including the RTCIPF Marine Branch, Maritime Operations Center and the Immigration Task Force jointly identified and intercepted this sloop, preventing over 100 irregular migrants from entering the TCI illegally.”
The public is being advised to notify the closest police station or to contact Crime Stoppers and give any information about illegal activity anonymously.
Please note, that Crime Stoppers calls are answered in Miami and in Houston by Miami-Dade Crime Stoppers which is a non-profit and not a police agency.
The calls are anonymous and cannot be traced in the United States or the TCI.