Reports: Sailboat With Illegal Immigrants
[Updated: Boat confirmed as being in Bermuda] The Canadian press is reporting that a boat, whose last port of call was Bermuda, arrived in Canadian waters carrying ten illegal immigrants from Eastern Europe this past weekend. The 37 ft sailboat ‘Valetta’ was intercepted by the Canadian Coast Guard, with the individuals taken into custody and the Canadian Police launching an investigation to determine any possible connection to organized crime, including human smuggling.
Two Ukrainian men who allegedly tried to smuggle eight people into Canada on the sailboat made an appearance in a Canadian court this week. Vasyl Aksenin, 26, and Mykola Tyshkivskyy, 46, are charged with organizing, inducing, aiding or abetting the entry into Canada of persons without a visa, passport or other required documents, a charge with carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a half a million Canadian dollar fine.
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police media release, in which they specifically say the ‘boat was traveling north from Bermuda’ from June 22, 2010 is printed in full below:
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) and Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) have identified and secured a vessel displaying the name ‘Valletta’ that arrived at the Port of Shelburne, NS on Saturday evening. RCMP Immigration and Passport Section and Integrated Border Enforcement Team (IBET) have confirmed that there were 10 individuals from Eastern Europe onboard (five women and five men).
The vessel was traveling north from Bermuda and was spotted off Shelburne by Canada Coast Guard ship ‘Earl Grey’.
The Canada Border Services Agency (CBSA) will process these individuals in accordance with Canadian law and exercise due diligence in the screening of all irregular migrants for both security and criminal threats. The safety and security of Canadians remains a priority for both the CBSA and the RCMP.
The RCMP Immigration and Passport Section is conducting an investigation to determine any possible connection to organized crime, including human smuggling, ensuring Canadian Law is upheld and maintaining the safety of those onboard the vessel. The investigation is continuing.
The RCMP and CBSA along with other partnering agencies are involved to protect the integrity of Canada’s immigration and refugee programs and the safety and security of Canadians.
Canadian news agencies including the Chronicle Herald [link] and Halifax Metro News [link] are specifically saying the boat’s “last port of call was Bermuda” or “the boat left from Bermuda”, however we have been unable to get further confirmation or information from official sources, with authorities saying they cannot release further information as the investigation is still underway.
Update: We have confirmed the boat was here in Bermuda. A local Maritime official has confirmed the boat arrived here on June 6th from Antigua, and left on June 11th for the islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which are located just south of the Canadian province of Newfoundland. Maritime officials also told us there were 10 people onboard the sailboat when it arrived, and 10 when it left. The boat cleared customs in St George’s, and anchored in Convict Bay.
We questioned as to the circumstances surrounding the individuals in Canada, and were told by the Maritime official they arrived and left here as visiting sailors, as normal. The individuals, two confirmed to be from the Ukraine, with the eight others reported by the Canadian press to be from Georgia and Moldova, all appear to be from nations which require visas to enter Bermuda.
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