A Colombian national was yesterday fined and ordered deported by a city court after she admitted to entering Guyana illegally.
Carolina Perez, 33, pleaded guilty to the charge that on September 10th, 2017, at Eteringbang, she entered Guyana by sea and disembarked without the consent of an immigration officer.
Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield told Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan that on the day in question the Perez came to Guyana from Venezuela through Eteringbang. He added that on January 30th, 2018, a party of police from the Bartica Police Station were on patrol duty when they came into contact with the defendant.
Perez was then asked to produce her passport and on checking it the police discovered she had entered Guyana illegally. She was then arrested and taken to the Bartica Police Station and later escorted to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters, at Eve Leary, where she was interviewed and later charged.
When asked by the Chief Magistrate why she came illegally to Guyana, the defendant, with the aid of a translator, stated that things are very hard in Venezuela and that her family depends on her. She added that she is a single parent and was going to Venezuela but was robbed of the money that she had accumulated to leave.
She was then fined $30,000 by Chief Magistrate McLennan or a default sentence of eight weeks in jail. Upon the payment of her fine or the serving of her default sentence, she is to be escorted to the nearest port of exit.
