ST JAMES, Jamaica — Members of the St James Police Division and the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency (PICA) were, as of Sunday afternoon, processing 10 Cuban nationals who reportedly entered Jamaican shores illegally over the weekend.

The individuals arrived on the island in two separate groups, travelling in four boats.

Among those in custody are three Cubans who arrived on the property of a popular hotel in Rose Hall, St James, on Sunday morning. This incident closely followed the apprehension of a group of seven Cubans on the Unity Hall main road in the parish on Saturday afternoon.

“On Saturday, October 26, at about 6:30 pm, three small vessels carrying approximately seven Cuban nationals entered Jamaican shores. The individuals were intercepted by police along the Unity Hall main road and taken into custody. Indications are that they entered the country illegally,” stated Zone One Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police Roderick Reid, during a briefing in Montego Bay on Sunday.

“A subsequent event occurred on Sunday, October 27, around 10:43 am, when another vessel with three Cuban nationals entered Jamaican waters at the Half Moon Hotel. All 10 Cuban nationals are currently in custody at the Montego Bay Police Station, where they are being processed by police and external partners, including PICA and Immigration,” he added.

Assistant Superintendent Reid noted that two of the Cubans, who speak some English, disclosed that they fled their country due to ongoing hardships.

The detained Cubans are scheduled to undergo medical examinations, according to Reid.

Seventy per cent of Cuba’s population has power again as the island recovers from a nationwide blackout and a hurricane that left seven people dead, the government said Tuesday.

The lights went out across the Communist-run country on Friday, October 18, after the collapse of the island’s largest power plant crippled the entire power grid.

The situation was complicated by the passage of Hurricane Oscar, which struck Cuba last Sunday as a Category 1 storm.

–          Horace Hines