Shippers say stowaways ‘threaten lives,’ must be punished

Santo Domingo.- Dominican Republic’s shippers grouped in the ANRD on Monday called for the full weight of the law against stowaway, calling it a "scourge that poses a serious hazard to human life, causing significant material losses and an embarrassing for the nation abroad".

ANRD President Teddy Heinsen said security is a vital element to develop competitiveness and to promote local and foreign investment climate. “The authorities’ efforts in security and the support by appropriate court rulings are imperative to discourage recurrence."

He said four Dominican stowaways arrived in Brooklyn, NY aboard the ship Spica on October 30, who managed to avert port security and reach American territory, where they were later arrested nearby. "This boat left Haina port on October 25 and the stowaways who boarded it on the high seas are repeat offenders, who were returned to the Dominican Republic on Sunday and interrogated before being handed over to justice."

Heinsen stressed that the stowaways are often released without even being charged. "For that reason I call on the prosecutors and courts to act more forcefully against these cases to rigorously apply the punishment established by law."