Nine Venezuelan women, charged for illegally entering Guyana, on Friday appeared before Georgetown Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus and pleaded guilty to the illegal entry charge.
The charge read that on March 8, 2018, Merielys Parra, Macila Guerrero, Annybel Medori, Sihpibeh Manzaro, Ann Ortiz, Evhory Tenor, Danelia Figueroa, Elleymis Rodrigues and Mariam Torres entered Guyana illegally at Eteringbang without presenting themselves to an immigration officer.
Through an interpreter, the women told the court that none of them has a passport, and that they came to Guyana because of the crisis back home in Venezuela.
The court heard that on the day in question, Police were on patrol duties on the West Coast of Demerara when they stopped the vehicle in which the women were occupants.
Each of the women, who are between the ages of 18 and 24, was fined $30,000 with an alternative of 60 days in prison, after which they would be deported.
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan had only recently called for Community Policing Groups to play a much greater role in this level of policing Guyana’s border regions, to assist law enforcement agencies.
That Ministry is also considering the option of having outstanding citizens given precepts that would allow them to have some policing powers, especially since there is a limited Police presence in far-flung communities that border Venezuela. These ‘Police helpers’ would, however, have to come under one of the CPGs.
