Reply #6: US Coast Guard catches Peruvians, Dominicans at sea heading for Puerto Rico

[Judi Lynn]

News from the Caribbean as of Tuesday May 20, 2008


US Coast Guard catches Peruvians, Dominicans at sea heading for Puerto Rico
Wednesday, April 7, 2004

MIAMI, USA (AFP): The US Coast Guard said in a statement Tuesday it had intercepted 24 Dominicans and 14 Peruvians who tried to reach Puerto Rico by boat.

The Coast Guard said it was searching for three people who jumped into the water when the boat was stopped.

The seven-meter (23-foot) long boat was five kilometers (three miles) from the coast of Puerto Rico, which is a Spanish-speaking US commonwealth. The Dominican Republic is fewer than 130 kilometers (80 miles) to the west of Puerto Rico.

More than 3,000 Dominicans have been stopped at sea since January 2004, doubling the number of people who were caught in 2003. Finding Peruvians at sea is unusual, and Coast Guard officials could not explain how they ended up floating toward Puerto Rico.

http://www.caribbeannetnews.com/2004/04/07/uscg.htm