Sri Lankans slapped with illegal entry charge

Preshawn Kumar and Aru Rugam, 36, both of Sri Lanka, were on Tuesday fined and ordered to be deported when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Courts for illegally entering Guyana.
The two men admitted that on February 28, 2020, at Springlands, Corentyne, Region Six (East Berbice-Corentyne), they entered Guyana by sea and disembarked without presenting themselves to the nearest Immigration Officer.
The court heard that on the day in question, the defendants were heading to Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) when the vehicle in which they were travelling was stopped by Police ranks at the Mabura checkpoint.
Upon inspection, the two men were asked to present their travel documents and it was discovered that the documents bore no travel stamps indicating that they arrived in Guyana legally.
They were arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary, and following an investigation, they were charged.
The men were fined $40,000 each or an alternative of 40 days’ imprisonment. It was ordered that they are deported after paying their fines or serving their time in prison.
Only last week, four Sri Lankans were charged and fined for the same offence.
They too were heading to Mahdia when the vehicle they boarded was stopped and Police officers found that they illegally entered the country.