St Kitts and Nevis (WINN): Three men who were charged for their involvement in a smuggling operation earlier this month have all tested negative for COVID-19.
A release from the Ministry of National Security stated that the men, who were being held in a designated area away from the general population of the prison, received their second test on Friday, August 28. That date marked the end of the mandatory 14 day quarantine period.
As WINN FM reported earlier, on August 14, a boat was spotted near the shore in the Palmetto Point area. The Coast Guard contacted the Police at about 8 p.m. and several units responded.
Following a search of the vessel and surrounding water, three persons – Norton Hanley of Boyd’s Village, Juan Jose Cuesta of the Dominican Republic, and Enrique Torres Rojas of Venezuela – were taken into custody.
Hanley, the captain of the boat was charged with Smuggling, Illegal Entry and Entering the Federation without Written Permission. The passengers, Cuesta and Rojas, were charged with Illegal Entry and Entering the Federation without Written Permission.
The nine officers who were involved in apprehending the men were also quarantined at another location as a precautionary measure.
Authorities are reportedly still on the hunt for a fourth individual who fled the scene.
