At about 6 am on Monday officers from both the Coastguard and Customs were called to Anne Port in St Martin after receiving a call from a member of the public who had found a ‘suspicious-looking’ dinghy.
Customs officers yesterday confirmed that they had arrested an individual, who is thought to have used the boat.
In a statement, a spokesman for the service said: ‘An individual has been arrested on suspicion of being an illegal immigrant and investigations are ongoing.
‘We can confirm that the individual is in good health. We will not be making any further comment on this matter at this time.’
Although Customs officials would not discuss the matter further, one St Martin resident, who did not wish to be named, said he saw a dinghy with an anchor attached washed up in a corner of the beach on Sunday evening. He said the dinghy was retrieved by Jersey Coastguard the following day.
Another member of the public claimed that the dinghy had a man on board who was on his way to the Island from France. The Islander said the dinghy had been found adrift at sea by a yacht, which came to his assistance and towed it into Anne Port bay.
The suspect’s arrest comes after the JEP reported last month that a man swam across the harbour in St Malo during the night, before climbing aboard the Condor Rapide ferry and hiding in a storage area in an attempt to get to Jersey.
He was later discovered by staff who were carrying out a routine security check of the vessel a number of hours before it was due to leave.
Last year three Iranians – thought to be trying to reach the UK – landed at Bonne Nuit in an inflatable boat. All three were carrying counterfeit Swedish ID cards.
And in 2016, it was reported that French authorities had intercepted a vessel – thought to be bound for the Channel Islands – off the coast of Barneville-Carteret in Normandy which was carrying a ‘small number’ of migrants.
A few months later, two people were arrested after an Iranian man was brought into the Island illegally after being hidden inside the boot of a car on a ferry from St Malo. The man was given a ten-week suspended prison sentence but granted asylum to live in the UK. The female driver of the car was given 312 hours’ community service.
