Two Venezuelan nationals, who were remorseful for illegally entering Guyana, were yesterday both fined and ordered deported.
Deimar Maide Meza, and Rudysnorby De Los Angeles Bertho Rengel, were read separate charges when they appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in Georgetown.
Rengel, 20, was read a charge which stated that on July 14, at Eteringbang, Cuyuni River, Essequibo, she entered Guyana by sea and disembarked without the consent of an immigration officer.
Meza, 29, was read a similar charge, which stated that she entered Guyana illegally on the same day and at the same place.
With the aid of a translator, they both pleaded guilty to the charges.
According to Police Prosecutor Arvin Moore, on July 14, the defendants came to Guyana from Venezuela through Eteringbang, Cuyuni River, Essequibo and travelled to Bartica. Once there, they were seen by a constable, who suspected them to be foreigners and asked them to produce their passports, which they failed to do. They were subsequently arrested and taken to the Bartica Police Station and then transferred to CID Headquarters, where their immigration status was investigated.
The Central Immigration Office was later contacted and there was no record to show that the defendants had presented themselves to the immigration authority. As a result, they were charged.
When asked by Chief Magistrate McLennan if they had anything to say, Rengel said that the only reason why she had illegally entered Guyana was to provide for her family and that she was truly sorry for doing so. Meza said that while she was sorry for entering the country illegally, she had no other choice as the situation back home was critical. She added that she was jobless, there was no food back home and she needed to provide for her family and children.
Chief Magistrate McLennan fined each woman $15,000 or a default sentence of one week imprisonment. She also ordered that they be escorted to the nearest port of exit after paying their fine or serving the default sentence.
