Dominican Airline owner Rafael Rosado was quizzed by authorities in connection with the rental of an aeroplane that was impounded in Treasure Cay, carrying passengers with forged visas.
According to the news source ‘Dominican Today’, Dominican Justice authorities interrogated Rafael Rosado, the proprietor of the airline ‘Caribair,’ on Wednesday in connection with the rental of an aeroplane that was subsequently confiscated by law enforcement officials in The Bahamas roughly a month ago. Prior to the confiscation of the aircraft, eight passengers were found thereon with fake visas. A Defence Force official at the Detention Centre revealed to The Guardian yesterday, that the eight illegal immigrants were recently held at the Detention Centre before they were transferred to Her Majesty’s Prison (HMP).
“About a month ago, they were apprehended in Treasure Cay (Abaco) by the police authorities. Thereafter, they were brought to Nassau and were detained here (at the Detention Centre) for about two weeks,” the officer said. “They were sentenced by the court and sent to HMP.”
The officer explained that he could not confirm if they were still in police custody or if they had been sent back to the Dominican Republic. Further, he stated that he could not confirm whether or not the confiscated aircraft remains in the custody of Bahamian law enforcement officials.
However, the Dominican Today reported that the Illicit Human Trafficking Department Director in the Dominican Republic, Frank Soto, said that the eight detainees remained under arrest for 30 days after their arrival into The Bahamas, prior to returning to the Dominican Republic.
The Dominican Today report further disclosed that the pilot, Jesus Manuel Castillo Tejada, had already been questioned and later released, although investigations into the case remain open.
According to sources of the newspaper ‘Diario Libre’, the aeroplane was rented for US$5,000 to the airline and the authorities suspect that the illegals’ final destination was Miami. This latest development on human smuggling follows local claims that illegal and legal Haitians are paying up to 5000 to be smuggled into Florida.
A high-profile Haitian activist in Abaco claimed that over the past five months there has been a mass exodus of illegal immigrants and criminal smuggling rings have shipped hundreds of migrants into the United States. “I have received information that there is a smuggling ring in Abaco involving Haitians,” said Rev Carlton Dorsette, a long-time advocate of Abaco’s Haitian community and Pastor of Trumpet Assembly of God. “Hundreds of Haitians have been smuggled into the United States.”
By: LaShonne Outten, The Nassau Guardian
