The Royal Bahamas Defence Force patrol craft, P 129, apprehended nine foreign nationals including one Bahamian, one Jamaican, six Dominicans, and one Lithuanian around 10 a.m. yesterday morning off West End, Grand Bahama aboard an 18-foot vessel.

According to a statement released by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the defence force vessel was alerted by Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT) officials to a vessel in distress off West End.

The nine occupants were found aboard the vessel by defence force marines and subsequently taken into custody.

The apprehended persons were handed over to police and immigration authorities in West End for further investigation and processing.

The Bahamian national is expected to be charged with human smuggling.

Earlier on Sunday morning, the defence force vessel, P 48, assisted four crew members aboard a 100-foot Haitian freighter that ran aground near Lynard Cay, southeast of Marsh Harbour, Abaco around 8 a.m. No one was hurt during the incident and the vessel was re-floated without further incident.