MBABANE – Investigations by the Ministry of Home Affairs have revealed that the 88 foreigners reportedly linked to an illegal online gambling ring are in Eswatini illegally.
The foreign nationals, who are mostly Asians and some Brazilians, were arrested during a police operation at a hotel in Mbabane.
They were initially apprehended by members of the Royal Eswatini Police Service (REPS) during a raid that uncovered what authorities suspect was an online gambling operation being run from the hotel using numerous electronic devices.
Police reportedly discovered several laptops and desktop computers believed to have been used to facilitate online gambling activities. Preliminary investigations suggested that the operation targeted people outside Eswatini.
Deputy Police Information and Communications Officer Assistant Superintendent Nosipho Mnguni confirmed the arrests and said investigations were ongoing to determine the exact nature of the activities being carried out by the foreign nationals.
Mnguni said the suspects were staying at a hotel in Mbabane when officers conducted the operation.
“The suspects are Asian nationals who were found in a hotel around Mbabane. Investigations are ongoing to establish what their mission in the country was and whether their activities were legal,” she said.
However, investigations by the Ministry of Home Affairs have since revealed that the matter extends beyond the alleged gambling activities.
According to information gathered by this publication, immigration investigations established that all 88 foreign nationals were in the country illegally.
The group consists mostly of Asian nationals, while eight of them are Brazilian citizens.
Investigators reportedly discovered that most of the foreign nationals did not enter the country through any of Eswatini’s official ports of entry, raising suspicions that they may have been smuggled into the country.
Only a few, among the Brazilian nationals, were found to have entered the country through legal ports of entry. However, they did not possess valid visas, while some had passports that had not been stamped by immigration authorities upon arrival.
The Brazilians who entered the country legally were also found to have overstayed beyond the period permitted, rendering their stay in the country a contravention of the Immigration Act.
These findings prompted authorities to treat the matter not only as a criminal investigation, but also as a serious immigration violation.
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