– were without legal travel documents

LINDEN police have arrested five Haitians who were travelling to Lethem in a minibus on Friday. The Haitians were apprehended by police at about 23:00h in a vehicle at Wisroc Junction, Wismar, Linden, Press Officer Superintendent Jairam Ramlakhan confirmed.

Not in possession of legal documents, the Haitians were taken into custody and later transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department at Eve Leary, Georgetown for charges to be laid.

Commander of the Linden Division, Senior Superintendent Calvin Brutus, told the Guyana Chronicle that the Haitians do not speak English and therefore it was difficult to ascertain why they were in the country illegally, or why they were travelling to Lethem.

Ramlakhan said the men reportedly entered the country via the Suriname back track route at Springlands, Berbice, and were en route to neighbouring Brazil when they were detained.

Between July and September 2016, more than 10 Haitians have already been charged and deported to their homeland. This, however, was the first time for 2016 that illegal immigrants were apprehended in Linden.