Following a two-day search on Peter Island beginning Sunday morning, 27 suspected illegal migrants have been detained by authorities, police said.
Officers of the Royal Virgin Islands Police Force, working together with Her Majesty’s Customs and Immigration, began the search at Little Harbour, Peter Island after receiving a call at 11:25 a.m. Sunday, according to a press release from the Police Information Office.
Initially, 10 people were discovered hiding in the brush near the Peter Island Resort, and one was found in the resort itself, the release states.
An additional 12 people suspected of being illegal migrants were detained after a search in the area of White Bay on Sunday afternoon, police said.
“Six of the detained persons are female, one is a male child and the remainder are male,” according to the release. “Most of the individuals are believed to be Haitian, although two may be from Cuba, and one is believed to be Dominican.”
On Monday, authorities detained three more men and one woman, all of Haitian decent, police said.
Police interviews suggest that a boat dropped off the group on Saturday night. The detainees believed they were on St. John in the United States Virgin Islands, according to the release.
See the March 21, 2013 edition for full coverage.
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