Four Bahamian men were caught trying to smuggle a group of 15 foreign nationals into the United States yesterday, Minister of Labour and Immigration Keith Bell said.
The smuggling attempt failed after the boat the group was on began to take on water, Bell said.
“Their boat took on water and they had to be rescued,” he said.
“The persons are in custody, 15 foreign nationals and four Bahamians who are expected to be charged before the courts.”
He added, “This is a not a case of irregular migrants coming into the country. This was a smuggling attempt to go out of the country into the US.”
The foreign nationals included 11 Haitians, two Chinese and two Ecuadorians.
The smuggling attempt comes as The Bahamas continues to experience an influx of irregular migrants from Cuba and Haiti.
Haiti is in an economic, political and security crisis. Officials say Cuba is undergoing severe inflation.
