Businessman Desmond ‘DA’ Alphonso was deported to his native Guyana Tuesday, after Governor Boyd McCleary dismissed his appeal of a deportation order issued last year, officials said.
Mr. Alphonso departed the territory in the morning on a charter plane, accompanied by police and immigration officials, Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Guy Hill said.
He landed in Guyana later that morning, accompanied by the Virgin Islands officials and by family members, according to a press release from the Premier’s Office, which has responsibility for immigration.
Although some VI online media reported that Mr. Alphonso’s deportation was delayed after he demanded a charter flight and time to settle his affairs in the territory, Mr. Hill said in the release the only delay was caused by the need for permission to enter Guyanese airspace.
Mr. Alphonso, who was born in Guyana but has resided in the VI since he was 14 months old, pleaded guilty in 2008 to assisting offenders. He spent more than three years in Her Majesty’s Prison, including time spent on remand awaiting trial.
See the June 30, 2011 edition for full coverage.