Three arrested after boat tried to evade Coast Guard

UPDATE: The three men who were arrested on Sunday, 12 February, following a drug interdiction at sea, have now been formally charged with one count each of Illicit Trafficking, Being Concerned in the Importation of Controlled Drugs (Ganja), Reckless and Dangerous Act, Damage to Property and Resisting or Obstructing an Arrest.

The men, ages 33 and 37 of West Bay, and 37 of North Side, appeared in court on Wednesday, 15 February.

(CMR) Three men were arrested after they tried to evade the Cayman Islands Coast Guard in a vessel that eventually took on water and sunk on Sunday, 12 February.

Reports from the RCIPS are that on Sunday, while engaged in border protection patrols to the south of Grand Cayman, the Cayman Islands Coast Guard was alerted to the presence of a single vessel of interest traveling towards the Island.

When approached, the vessel of interest increased its speed and attempted to evade the CICG Vessel, resulting in a chase. During the chase, officers onboard the CICG vessel observed that a number of packages were being thrown into the ocean by persons onboard the vessel being followed. As the CICG closed the distance between them, the operator of the vessel being followed attempted to evade capture by running his vessel into the side of the CICG vessel on three occasions.

The vessel was eventually stopped and the occupants, three males, were questioned as to their actions. During this time the vessel they were on began to take on water and eventually sunk. Having been taken onboard the CICG vessel, they were subsequently arrested on suspicion of being concerned with the importation of controlled drugs into the Islands and were then transported to shore and handed over to RCIPS. The men were subsequently taken to the Cayman Islands Hospital, as they reported having injuries.

With the assistance of the RCIPS Air Operations Unit a number of packages were recovered from the ocean, and subsequently handed over to the RCIPS.

All three men were examined at the Cayman Islands Hospital, and released later that night. They remain in custody pending further investigation by the police.

The CICG Vessel involved in the chase, although sustaining some damage, remains operational, and luckily, none of its crew members sustained serious injuries.