Puerto Rican gets 6 months for illegal landing
BVI News Staff - Monday, December 17th, 2012 at 7:22 AM
Her Majesty’s Prison
Ramon Santiago – the Puerto Rican who admitted to landing illegally at Baughers Bay in the BVI – has been sentenced to six months imprisonment.
In handing down the sentence on December 14, Senior Magistrate Tamia Richards said Santiago was very remorseful and had expressed that remorse to the court.
She noted that the aggravating factor is the prevalence of the offence, while the mitigating factor is the defendant’s early guilty plea and the fact that he has no previous convictions.
Magistrate Richards said the court is cognizant of the fact that the territory’s borders are porous and that the BVI is surrounded by a vast amount of water that is impossible to patrol.
She also stated that Santiago has visited the territory before and was apparently familiar with the clearance procedure.
The court was told that about 10:45pm on September 14, police were on mobile patrol duty along the Baughers Bay area.
Upon approaching the area of Pearla’s Bar, which is adjacent to the Baughers Bay dock, the officers observed a gold-looking XL7 jeep being driven from the dock towards the main road.
The officers made a turn into the area before the jeep emerged on the main road.
Someone ran from the jeep with something in his grasp, leaving Santiago behind.
When questioned by police he said a friend brought him to the island on a boat and had left him.
Santiago was asked if he had any identification on him and he said no. He also explained that his identification card was left in St. Thomas from where he had travelled.
However, in the back seat of the jeep, officers found a bag which contained a US passport with the name Ramon Santiago.
Officers later carried out enquiries with the Immigration Department and discovered there is no record of Santiago entering the territory legally.
A check was also made to see if he had any special clearance. There was none.
In mitigation, Santiago’s attorney Ruthilia Maximea told the court her client is a 37 year-old US national of Puerto Rico who is employed as an electrical contractor.
She said he was on a mini-vacation in St. Thomas when – on the request of his friends – he travelled to the BVI as part of a joy ride to Willy T.
The defence lawyer further said: “Having completed the joyride, the captain got hungry and they decided to get something to eat. Hence, the reason for being in the area of Pearla’s. Only the Captain and a friend disembarked the boat at that time. The defendant (Santiago) was told if he wanted to eat, he had to go and collect the food.”
She further stated that her client is very sorry about the matter, adding that he has no reason to enter the BVI illegally.
The lawyer also asked the Magistrate not to impose a custodial sentence. Magistrate Richards did otherwise.
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7 Comments
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If BVI residents think this is justified then we here in the USVI should start putting in prison all the people that come here illegally and shop in Kmart and Cost-U-Less taking their purchases back to the BVI. Remember this is a two way street between us.
if the police or customs ever what to set a tone it would be to just sit out side norman island and catch all the go fasts that enter the BVI for a willy t run. speeding through the mooring fiels jeperdising people in the water trying to enjoy their holiday. want to up hold the law.. just go and do your job.. but yet no one works on a weekend. how many people go to norman and wind up on tortola with not clearing in. how much drugs and guns are transfered on a crowded weekend. how many incedents must there be before the charter boats go some where else. all because no one does their job. good example right here.. go to the will t and wind up in tortola.. you nailed one out of a hundred.. well done..
Why would you waste prison space by locking up a man who could just be put on the next plane back to where he came from. Maybe use that prison space for the gun men, robbers and drug dealers that are walking around free wrecking the bvi?
I realize it is a crime to enter like that, however, if the circumstances were as he is saying,a trip to the Willy T and a captain seemed to not care his passenger would be here illegally, took him on for a joy ride and left him to take care of himself by the dock….I think this guy was a victim of unfortunate events. Fine him and let him go back to the USVI.
Have a nice time at Balo
Y would a US citizen want to come here to land illegally. What’s so fascinating? Should get life for that meson
His real crime is STUPIDITY, all he had to do was to present himself at a port of entry, be given time and walk in.
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