Guyanese man convicted for overstaying

Richard Hinds, a Guyanese national who was among those detained in an anti-human trafficking raid over the weekend, has been convicted for overstaying his time in Antigua and Barbuda.
He pleaded guilty to the offence before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh earlier this week. Sources close to the case said he had come to Antigua for vacation but never sought to renew his permit to stay. His status was illegal for more than a year.
The Ministry of Legal Affairs and Public Safety issued a statement yesterday, indicating that Hinds was the only person, from the more than 30 people, found in breach of the country’s immigration laws. While he was charged, the others were released pending further investigations.
Late Friday night into Saturday morning, law enforcement agencies conducted a joint operation called “Libertado” in which they raided the G-Spot Nightclub on Independence Avenue and the Cheetah Nightclub on Joseph Lane. Both areas are in the capital city, St. John’s.
Operation “Libertado” is the name given to a regional joint Action Day Operations, in collaboration with INTERPOL and, according to the public safety ministry, it is designed to free as many victims of human trafficking as possible.
(More in today’s Daily Observer)