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Antigua & Barbuda: Yacht Captain arrested for transporting Haitians

February 21st, 2007 by yachtbud

The French Captain of a vessel which ran aground last week on Cades Reef, Antigua, has been found and arrested. Chief Immigration Officer Lt. Col. Clyde Walker confirmed the arrest of Frederick Pascouaud of the yacht ?Camerone?. The Captain abandoned the yacht and 5 Haitians after stricking the reef. He left in the yacht?s tender. The Coast Guard boarded the yacht and turned over the Haitians to Immigration Officials. The Haitians had been picked up in Dominica and were to be taken to French St. Martin. Smuggling Haitians has become a big criminal activity in the Caribbean. The Haitians had managed to get out of Haiti and live in Dominica for several years thanks to limited visa restrictions.

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Yacht captain held in custody

Wednesday February 21 2007

Authorities have located the French captain of the vessel which ran aground last week on a reef off Cades Bay with five Haitians on board.

Chief Immigration Officer Lt. Col. Clyde Walker has confirmed that Frederick Pascouaud, captain of the yacht Camerone, was in police custody and was expected to have been charged yesterday. He was unsure however, of the charge(s) that will be levelled against the seaman.

Earlier reports indicated that the captain had come ashore on a dinghy in the Urlings area after the incident last week Monday morning, leaving his vessel and its human cargo to be rescued by the Coast Guard.

Meanwhile, the Haitians who were captured and turned over to Immigration Department officials are to be returned to Dominica tomorrow morning. They will be accompanied by two immigration officers.

The Haitians are reported to have been headed for St. Martin (French side), after having lived in Dominica for a number of years. All five are in their early to middle 30s.