Antiguans charged with smuggling in St. Kitts

The two Antiguans who survived the tragedy at sea last Tuesday after they were
rescued by St. Kitts-Nevis Coast Guard, have been charged with suspicion of
smuggling.
This has been confirmed by law enforcement authorities in the Federation,
although no names have been released. There is no word yet on when they will
make their first court appearance.
This comes as both the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC) out of
Martinique and the St. Kitts-Nevis Coast Guard, announced on Friday that they
have suspended all recovery operations, hoping to locate the bodies of those
missing when the vessel, Le belle Michelle II, went down early Tuesday morning
just off the coast of St. Kitts.
The Guadeloupe registered 30-foot vessel, was believed to have been transporting
West African migrants from Antigua and Barbuda to another jurisdiction. The
MRCC notified the authorities in both Antigua and St. Kitts after the transponder
sent out an alert, when the vessel capsized at sea. There was an estimated 30
persons on board, including the two Antiguans, who were believed to be the
captain and a crew member.
Sixteen persons were rescued alive, and three bodies pulled from the sea.
Head of the Antigua and Barbuda Defense Force (ABDF) Colonel Telbert
Benjamin said, the official count is that eleven persons are missing. He indicated
that this will only change if additional information comes to hand later, to
determine that there is a need to change.
He said his counterparts in Basseterre have indicated that they will not be returning
to the site where the vessel went down, unless more bodies pop up to the surface of
the water.
The fate of the fourteen West Africans still in custody in St. Kitts remains unsure,
the Antigua and Barbuda government has offered to have them sent back to St.
John’s to be processed, along with those already here.