An intensive island-wide search is underway for five Cubans who escaped from The Carmichael Road Detention Centre early yesterday morning.
The escape of Leonel Ballestero Perez and Alexander Rodriguez Roca, of Matanzas, Cuba, and Joel Vegas Torres, of Bayamo Granma, Armando Estrada Lazo Pinar del Rio, and David Vazquez Llanes, of Camaguey, marks the third breakout from the facility for the year.
Yesterday’s breakout marks the second time Llanes escaped from the Detention Centre. Last year July 1, he made good his getaway and turned himself in two weeks later, on July 15.
But officials are refusing to say that the escapes are a sign that there is a failure in security.
“No, I don’t view it as a failure. Things happen and we just have to work and try to improve as we go along,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, Cynthia Pratt.
It is understood that the escape plan called for a larger ﾠgroup of Cubans to leave the facility.
“There were 20 or more I’m ﾠtold [who] tried to escape when of course, the Defence Force sounded the alarm and were able to make a stir; some five of them escaped j [out of] the 20.
“We noticed in doing our surveillance, [that] there were a number of fences that were cut. The double fence was cut that was hidden behind the buses that [were] parked here on the campus,” Minister Pratt disclosed.
Unfortunately, she said the break out occurred as the government was planning to implement even more security upgrades at the compound.
“Well it is a major concern. Let me just say that since the last escape, we have ordered some screening devices so that we are able to screen not only the items that are brought in to the refugees, but also to screen persons to know what is on the person.
“[Such] machines are forthcoming [and] have been ordered already. The cameras of course will be mounted. We know that there [has] been a problem with lighting, and we have corrected that, and there
According to Mrs Pratt the dogs were present at the compound yesterday morning. She added that insufficient lighting did not abet the escape.
“We have ordered some screening devices so that we are able to screen not only the items that are brought into the refugees but also to screen the person to know what’s on the person. Those machines are forthcoming; they have been ordered already,” said Mrs Pratt.
“This is a problem for all of us, not just National Security or Immigration, but the Bahamian people,” said Mrs Pratt.
By KEVA LIGHTBOURNE, Guardian Senior Reporter
