ORANJESTAD - The intensification of the Coast Guard patrols around Aruba, Curaçao and Bonaire does not prevent Venezuelans from continuing to make efforts to reach the ABC islands.
The Coast Guard received a call yesterday evening from the police in Aruba that a group of immigrants had made landfall. The coast guard base then dispatched a land patrol and a Metal Shark patrol to search the area together with police and Guarda nos Costa (Guard our Coast). After a search, a total of 11 people were arrested, 9 men and 2 women. The boat that they used to come ashore was later found near Baby Beach. The undocumented have been handed over to the Guarda nos Costa.
Last week, the Aruba Coast Guard came into action against a go-fast that presumably also dropped Venezuelans. Because the crew took off and did not respond to warning shots, the engines were disabled with targeted shots, after which the two crew members were arrested. A search for possibly landed passengers (or drugs) was unsuccessful.