Two men facing human trafficking charges in Antigua | Loop Caribbean News

Two Antiguans could end up spending up to 25 years in prison for allegedly smuggling 12 Indian nationals into the island.

Sometime recently, local coast guard reportedly impeded a boat which was carrying 11 adults and one child who were reportedly coming from Dominica.

It is said that the police found Alvin Goodwin of Gray's Farm Antigua driving the boat which reportedly belonged to Parham resident Kevorn Crump.

The duo was subsequently arrested and charged with human trafficking and conspiring to traffic humans.

They both appeared before a Magistrate on Tuesday and were placed on a $200,000 bond and told to pay $50,000 to secure their temporary release.

Their travel documents were also taken and they are required to sign in at a police station near them a couple times each week.

The 11 adult immigrants were also arrested for entering the country illegally and were fined $1000 each last week.

They have since been repatriated.

According to the, The Trafficking in Persons (Prevention) Act, 2010 of Antigua and Barbuda, “A person who engages in trafficking in persons commits an offence and, subject to sections 15 and 16, is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding four hundred thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twenty years or to both.”

A person who conspires with another person to commit the offence of trafficking in persons or to aid them ” is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding four hundred thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twenty years or to both.”

And where an offence  is committed in relation to a child, ” the person convicted for that offence is liable on summary conviction to a fine not exceeding six hundred thousand dollars or to imprisonment for a term not exceeding twenty-five years or to both.”