PHILIPSBURG:--- Illegal employees of the Captain Oliver's Restaurant ran over to the French side of the property Thursday morning to evade the team of officers of "Operation Clean Sweep" who conducted a raid at the restaurant.
According to one of the heirs of the property that is residing at the hotel, she was disturbed by a lot of noise in front of her door. The heir said when she opened her door she found several of the employees that are working for the Captain Oliver's Restaurant camping out in front of her door. The heir who has been fighting for justice to regain her uncle's property said she was scared because of constant attacks and threats by the people who claim to have inherited Cactus Tree and Frilang, both companies belonging to the late Olivier Maria Lange. "I am even attacked by some of the employees here and Thursday morning was another scare for me, the last time people chopped off a chicken head and hung it on my door along with a wrinkled doll full of needles. My little daughter was scared to death when she opened the door and saw what was placed at our hotel room door."
Head of the Labor and Health Inspectorate Dr. Earl Best confirmed to SMN News that the officers that make up Operation Clean Sweep did conduct a raid at Captain Oliver's Restaurant on Thursday. Dr. Best said these raids are done in such a way that it is kept as top secret so no one knows about them. Operation Clean Sweep comprises of officers from the SZV, Labor Inspectorate, IND (Immigration), and the Coast Guard.
Several phone calls made to the Head of IND Udo Aron went unanswered on Thursday. SMN News contacted Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson who said the officers are doing controls constantly and the team has his full support. However, Minister Richardson said the Dutch Coast Guards had the lead in the raid conducted at Captain Oliver's Restaurant on Thursday morning. The Minister said based on information he received, the French Customs was contacted for assistance but they were unable to give assistance due to other circumstances on their side, therefore there was a lack of joint cooperation from the French side.
However, SMN News learnt that the Prefecture of St. Martin was not notified of the raid which according to the French authorities is an illegal raid because parts of Oyster Pond is still considered a zone de non droit.
It is quite troubling that IND conducted the raid at Captain Oliver's restaurant without assistance from the French side's Police aux Frontiers (French Immigration and the Labor Inspectors) especially knowing the risk they are facing with the location of the business place. It was evident that no assistance was given because at the time of the raid, the illegal employees ran across to the hotel and there was no one from the PAF or Labor Inspectorate from the French side at the time to give officers from Operation Clean Sweep assistance. Shortly after the officers from Operation Clean Sweep left the location, the illegal workers went back to working as if nothing had happened.
SMN News contacted the Prefecture of St. Martin to inquire if they received a request for assistance from the Dutch authorities but that information could not be obtained.
It should be noted that Captain Oliver's is considered zone de non droit because part of the property is on the Dutch territory while the other part is on the French territory. Discussions are currently taking place between the French and Dutch Ministers in the Netherlands and the State of France to determine who owns what in the Oyster Pond area.