Seven Guyanese held in St Maarten over fake passports scheme

The St Martin News Network says that the authorities on the island have arrested at least seven Guyanese nationals as suspects in a crime ring involved in selling fake Guyanese passports, Dutch residency papers and identification cards.
The arrests were made yesterday. The report says that the seven persons comprise a mother and her three sons, daughter in law and two close friends.  The latter allegedly sheltered the mother who was hiding from police. The arrest came after one and half years of intense police investigations.

SMN News stated that Bibi Yasmin Hussain better known as “Dolly” who police have been looking for since last year is now behind bars. Also detained were the woman’s three sons identified as Katip Kholadin, Khaleel Kholadin, Kabeer Kholadin and three other persons who are close friends of the Kholadin family. They have been identified as Shameena Kamaladeen the common law wife of one of the suspects and a brother and sister identified as Patricia Mohese and Rajo Mohese.

The report said that the Kholadins are from Kingston, Corriverton, Berbice and they are suspected of working with a large group of people in Guyana where they obtained a number of stolen Guyana passports.
The report said that police also scoured the family’s apartment in Cole Bay and seized a number of documents and cash. Sources say the suspects were allegedly selling false residency papers and identification cards for as much as $5,000.00 USD. SMN News says that other persons will be arrested.
Several persons who were arrested by police with false Guyanese passports alleged that they bought the passports from Bibi Yasmin Hussain.  The report said that Interim Police Spokesman Geronimo Juliet confirmed the arrests of the seven persons. Juliet said the suspects are in custody over fraudulent documents. Details on the house search and what was confiscated were not available, she said.