Nine Charged in Clarendon Following Probe Into Illegal Employment of Foreign Nationals

Authorities have laid charges against nine individuals after an operation targeting suspected immigration and labour violations in Clarendon.

Among those charged are eight Chinese nationals and a naturalised Jamaican man of Chinese descent. The arrests stem from an investigation carried out last Friday by the Transnational Crime Investigation Division (T-CID) of the Jamaica Constabulary Force.

The Jamaican, 39-year-old contractor Lei Gao of Heifer Run, Toll Gate, faces eight counts related to facilitating the employment of persons without valid work permits. Meanwhile, the eight foreign nationals, aged between 39 and 51, have each been charged with overstaying their permitted time in the country and engaging in employment without authorization.

Police reported that the operation was intelligence-driven and formed part of efforts to identify potential cases of human trafficking. During the exercise, law enforcement officers executed a search warrant at a construction site located along Mineral Heights main road, where the men were found working.

Further checks by the Passport, Immigration and Citizenship Agency confirmed that all eight individuals had exceeded the duration of their legal stay in Jamaica. Investigators also revealed that, through interviews conducted with the assistance of an interpreter, the men indicated they had been recruited in China to work for Gao.

Authorities have not disclosed how long the individuals had been in the island.

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