The Tribune

NEARLY 30 fishermen were apprehended by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force last week.

The RBDF apprehended the group of 15 Bahamians and 13 Dominicans who were onboard a Bahamian fishing vessel off Anguilla Cay on February 16. This followed the arrest of two Cubans off Anguilla Cay the previous day.

While on routine patrol, HMBS Nassau, under the command of Lieutenant Commander Samantha Hart, boarded and searched a 62ft Bahamian registered fibreglass vessel named “Blue Water II” about a mile west of Anguilla Cay.

Further investigation uncovered the Bahamian fishermen and the Dominicans onboard, along with a quantity of scaled fish and crawfish, two unlicenced compressors and a small amount of marijuana.

HMBS Leon Livingstone Smith, under the command of Senior Lt Ricardo McQueen, assisted in escorting the captured craft to Nassau. All of the men were taken into custody and handed over to police and immigration officials.

Before this incident, HMBS Nassau apprehended two Cubans onboard a white converter craft in the vicinity of Anguilla Cay last Monday. Both men were taken aboard the RBDF vessel and brought to Nassau where they were handed over to immigration officials for further processing.