Immigration tracks down convicted drug dealer
(CNS): A man who was in the Cayman Islands illegally has been apprehended and is currently in immigration custody as a result of reports made to the department by members of the public about him. The man, who has not been named, is from Saint Vincent but had been deported from the UK following his conviction and imprisonment for drug trafficking offences. It appears that he had lied to immigration officials here and had been living in Grand Cayman on various work permits.
Deputy Chief Immigration Officer Garry Wong said that after the department received a number of complaints via social media regarding the man’s identity, they began investigating the situation and learned from the UK authorities that he had been released from jail after serving part of an 11-year prison sentence and deported.
As a result of the public’s complaints about the man, officers with the Department of Immigration’s (DOI) Enforcement Division and the recently established Joint Law Enforcement Task Force successfully tracked him down in Lower Valley, where he was arrested last Wednesday morning, 4 July, on suspicion of violating the Immigration Law by making false representations and being a prohibited immigrant.
“I would like to sincerely thank the members of the public who came forward and provided us with the information, which ultimately led to the success of this operation,” said Wong. “We appreciate your support in ensuring border security and public safety.”
Local government officials have not revealed where the man was working or who had held the permits relating to his employment or how long he had been here.
Immigration officers continue to encourage the community to be diligent in their awareness of illegal activity, and to always report breaches of the law.
Anyone with information about immigration-related offences is urged to contact the confidential information hotline at 1-800-Legalim (1-800-534-2546), or email legalim@gov.ky.
Category: Crime, Immigration
Its amazing how every YEAR I have to get a police record to renew my license after living here in Cayman with Caymanian status or birth for 65 years. But I need to use my Passport and Drivers license to pick it up? Why am I joining MI-6? Why can’t I just use my drivers license OR any other Government issued ID?
Then you going to tell me any person coming especially from 3rd world countries can issue police records for a small bribe doesn’t need to have a validation done?? No one needs to use a passport at Government offices unless it has to do with immigration matters. Unless you are in a communist country. We do our drug test for $116 at the hospital now because no one trusts the doctor? Are you kidding me? Any drug addict can pass that drug test if you tell them to go in at their lesiure. How about a random test for every work permit holder? Most problem drug addicts are missing teeth and got red eyes, pick them up and do a random test. But start building a larger prison facility.
You need a police clearance for a license?
Employers please wake up. Employ caymanians and stop importing criminals.
Work for the money offered then!! This is just like those in the US that think immigrants are taking their jobs. Okay, Mike, I’d like to see you work all day in the orchard in the heat for little money.
Yes 9.07 am agree, AND, employment of Caymanians Vs work permit holders all hinges on a carefully crafted minimum wage law that sets pay rates where Caymanians will be interested. They are not fools. Expats from Third World countries are able to earn the lousy rates paid by Caymanian businesses, and buy land, and build homes, educate kids etc back home because of the currency exchange rate differential. Which Caymanian can afford to buy a piece of Caymanian land, let alone build on it with current sub-standard wages paid by greedey Caymanian businesses? Our governments over the years have pretended to not be aware of this huge elephant in the room for fear of upsetting the greedy businesses. Is this the usual contributions to political parties syndrome again? I cannot imagine any other rational reason for denying the reality of the situation, and continuing the marginalisation of Caymanians. Come on Caymanian Govt, be honest, decent, and move with integrity to sort out this crap before the people pound your asses with conch shells.
It seems immigration at the airport is more focused on rushing people through in order to avoid complaints regarding waiting time rather than observing and looking at people entering the country more closely.
I went through Miami a couple of weeks ago and there were 5 immigration officers on duty. 5 out of the roughly 65 lanes they have. The lines were extremely long and people were missing their connection flight but the officials didn’t care and everyone just had to suck it up.
Yep, that is the whole point of US immigration these days, they just do not care about tourists or immigrants, we all get treated like sh*t. They even treat some of their own the same way. Then T.Rump gets pi**ed at falling tourist numbers, and why nobody trusts them any more…they are heading to be a pariah state.
I hardly have to slow down walking in Miami with Global Entry, and I don’t care if there are lines at Immigration for non-residents. It’s just not that big a deal. No need to spend money on more agents
Cayman Border Patrol – Take the above as a word of caution … PLEASE don’t get like Miami. 🙂
We haven’t seen anything yet… wait until the Saudi Arabian expulsion get going. Immigration/authorities etc; Better wake up soon.
11.26am and…… when the school vacationers start piling in!!!!! Talk about CRIME. And they are going try their best to stay here and clog up our schools.
Huh? Is their a ship on it’s way? What are you talking about?
How did he get a Police Clearance Certificate from the UK or wherever – wouldn’t he have needed that for his work permit, even a temporary to start with before miraculously getting a Cayman police certificate after being here three months (that’s a loophole as well)?
That is a no brained. Probably paid someone in St. Vincent to issue him one. I wonder why all roads to Cayman?
1 down 20,000 more to go
“Immigration officers continue to encourage the community to be diligent in their awareness of illegal activity, and to always report breaches of the law.”
Apparently the public is more vigilant than the people we pay to do the border control job.
What happened to that finger print ID system that the public paid 500,000 Cayman dollars for a couple years back, but was never installed?
Mr. Manderson (CIO at the time) or Mr. Wong should explain why we bought it in the first place if it could not work.
7:43 your facts are all wrong. Check your dates. When are you going to understand that employers are the real problem. Why do the government have to police these people. Why don’t employers know who they are employing? Why do employers recruit criminals. What’s happening in the private sector?
Kudos to immigration for making this arrest. Hopefully private sector employers will finally get their act together.
Employers do know! They don’t care. Immigration needs to get their shit together.
Immigration need to fine and jail employers. Besides those who care smuggled in employers are responsible for all the riff-raff on the island.
You’d be arresting a few political figures as well.
Sounds more like you hate the private sector then the criminal who deceived their employer.
10:37 I don’t hate the private sector. But I am sick and tired of the public sector being criticised and blamed for everything and the private sector being portrayed as something it’s not.
Let’s unite and work together. Stop the blame game. It’s not helping.
Agree but it does sound like you’re still blaming the private sector!
What’s happening at Immigration? Customs? Health Services? DVDL? Should I go on?
Uncivil…corruption is finally being confronted and dealth with. I hope your uncivil self doesn’t think that’s a bad thing.
When are you going to help instead of offering criticism. Oh wait help involves thought and work.
if something is a fact……how in heaven’s name can a fact be wrong?
what you should say or write is that the information is incorrect.
I’m not in the habit of correcting grammar on this forum but I couldn’t resist this one,
Couple of years ago Mr Manderson was not at immigration. When he was there non of this happened. Anyone remember the feared immigration enforcement section?
Gets your facts straight.
When will the private sector start vetting their employees.
When will Caymanians begging for jobs take the painting, gardening, security guard, construction, domestic help jobs at the price they pay? Problem solved.
https://caymannewsservice.com/2018/07/mla-calls-for-research-on-caymanian-marginalization/
Dude, do you not follow the news? In the above article, MLA Suckoo, said that some 50% of the working population, makes less than $2400 per month. If they could go a bit further and really reveal how much of that 50% has Cayman Status, it would prove how silly your comment is.
Caymanians that do not currently make a salary, would love these jobs you speak of, but are not given a chance, simply branded as no good.
Then if you actually believe what you just wrote you have a bigger problem. Get your people to show up on time… everyday they aren’t actually sick or on holiday, and work HARD and FAST. People don’t just make up something about a group of people with no basis. I know many Caymanians who work really hard and are so annoyed at the fact that so many of their own make them look bad.
Yes, i actually believe what i just wrote, it is factual information. Take your head out of your ASS and stop generalizing. Since you know there are hard working Caymanians, how can you say “your people”? You are a big part of the problem we have, proving my point that you discredit Caymanians before they are given a chance.
I am most certain that the number of qualified Caymanians that make up part of the 50% that earn more than $2400 per month is less than 10% of Caymanians, and probably rank in the bottom half of that 50%. The true concern by Expats is that once Caymanians start to be employed, the life style you have here that you could not dream of living back home is threatened. Why else do they come?
Slavery over long time ago matie ….pay more. Problem solved
Yes 10.39 am it can happen when a Caymanian Govt finally takes it’s head out of it’s ass and implements a decent minimum wage law that makes the jobs worthwhile to Caymanians. Which Caymanian can aspire to buying a piece of their own country’s land, or even building a reasonable home on the lousy wages offered by greedy Caymanian businesses? Third World expat work permit holders can buy land, build homes, educate children, help relatives etc. back home on their meagre Cayman dollar earnings because of the foreign exchange rates. Why else would they be here? They have ambition. The disgusting wages offered to workers in Cayman assumes that Caymanians do not have the same ambitions. Of course they do, but they are not stupid.
When will a Caymanian Govt do the necessary, decent and honourable thing and implement a proper minimum wage that can entice Caymanians to get into the work pool and achieve what all these work permit holders are achieving by sending millions of dollars back home every pay day? Or is it that they do not want to offend Caymanian businesses who are likely donating to the party? The joke is that businesses donate to both parties in reality!
It is about damn time that a Caymanian Govt tackled this sore on the country’s backside and gave their people a chance to raise their living standards as the expats do. Just think of how many millions of payroll dollars might remain in the country to fuel the retail, service, and building sectors of our economy, instead of being syphoned out every pay day by Western Union, Moneygram etc. to other countries to build their economies.
This should be a no-brainer to any politician who genuinely cares about his/her people.
This made for great reading! More stories like this please. Well done to everyone involved in the operation!
Crickets on this one….hmmmm.
I thought that the U.K., like the USA, shared certain details about deportees. Considering our relationship with the U.K., one would assume this type of information would have been shared!!!
Bullshit immigration! Breaches of the law are everywhere. You are aware and openly tolerate it. Just ask yourselves how many PR holders have not paid their fees? You have detailed records of who they are. Have you arrested them for working illegally?
Yes and revoked their PR. You are referring to old news.
Nonsense. I am aware of one who has not paid for years. Enforcement appears rare and very selective.
Then report them. What are you doing spreading gossip?
Report what? That Immigration knows they owe fees and they are still at work?
Sure, just try one person then give up.
Go ahead and report him or her.
Are you talking about the Caymanian that used a PR holders fees for herself instead of paying his dues for two years? That was sorted out and he is here after a lot of hassle. She apparently got acquitted because she paid the money back after she was caught.
As usual a lot is being covered up here, and the public is doing Government’s job for them.