Venezuelan remanded for illegal entry

Jan 31, 2017 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

A hysterical Yanelda Vellada, a Venezuelan national, was remanded to prison for illegally

Three of the men who were charged last year.

entering Guyana. The 21-year-old woman who said she came to Guyana to work was arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for the offence.
Particulars of the charge against her stated that between January 1 and January 28, at Eteringbang, she entered Guyana by sea and disembarked without the consent of an immigration officer.
The unrepresented defendant pleaded not guilty to the allegation after it was read to her by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan yesterday, in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Police Prosecutor Deniro Jones told the court that the woman was picked up by police during a road block at Linden. Jones opposed Vellada being admitted to bail citing the fact the she is a foreign national. The prosecutor pointed out that at the time of the defendant’s arrest she failed to produce her passport.
Vellada spoke to the court through an interpreter facilitated by the Guyana Police Force (GPF). She also sobbed uncontrollably.
Prosecutor Jones was instructed to have the case file completed by Wednesday, when a trial will commence.
Last year July, 14 Venezuelans nationals who said they travelled to Guyana due to the ongoing economic crisis in their country were fined and escorted to the nearest port of exit for the same offence.
Gabriel Cheverria; Kisriana Gareia; Richard Delgado; Edgar Castillo; Leonard Liendro; Hellen Burgos; Jose Subero; Yecser Toledo; Dannys Diaz; Jesas Figueira; David Rengel; Erek Maza; Ramon Rodriguez and Yineurys Lara were each fined $10,000 with an alternative of six days’ imprisonment.
The nine men and five women had told the court that it was very difficult to survive in Venezuela. They had explained that the county was experiencing a shortage in food at the time and that they were in Guyana seeking betterment for their families.