15 Jamaican guards held with no work permits

A group of Jamaican nationals employed by a security company have been charged with being employed without possessing a valid work permit. The 12 women and three men, ages 28 to 54, appeared before Magistrate Marcia Murray in the Port-of-Spain First Court where they all pleaded guilty to the offence and were each fined $500 to be paid forthwith or in default serve ten days simple imprisonment. They were still in their company uniform when they appeared in court.

Attorney Richard Clarke-Wills, who represented the group, told the court they came to Trinidad to seek employment and to send the money they earned home to support their families. The group was picked up by a team of Immigration and police officers who said they had the business place under surveillance since last month. They were arrested on Thursday during a raid. Meanwhile, in a separate Immigration exercise, a Nigerian national yesterday was fined $10,000