In a massive bust yesterday, detectives from the Human Trafficking Unit swooped into a club in Penal and arrested 22 female nationals from the Dominican Republic, believed to be victims of a human trafficking ring.
A Syrian-born man and three male Trinidadians, whom police suspect were the middle-men in the trafficking operation, were also arrested.
Last night the women were being interviewed at several police stations in the South Western Division. Police said the women were found in various stages of undress, while two were found tied up in bed. It is believed that the women were brought into the country illegally and were being used as prostitutes.
Between 12 am and 6 am, about 50 officers led by Senior Supt Hosein, Actg Insp Ramdeen, Actg Insp Subero, and detectives from the South Western Divisional Task Force went to the club in Penal and began searching the rooms.
The detainees were transported in police vehicles to the Penal and Oropouche police stations. The Immigration Department was contacted to determine whether the women had entered the country illegally.
T&T has been named as a pivotal point in the human trafficking ring which exists in the Caribbean.
Last month, a 30-year-old Tunapuna man was arrested after police raided a brothel in Tacarigua. Four women were arrested, two of whom claimed to have been held there against their will.
Supt Hendron Moses later called on young women to be wary of advertisements placed in the media about job opportunities, since police believed this was one of the major ploys used to lure women by human traffickers. Women from several Caribbean islands including Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Haiti have admitted to being lured into the country through newspaper advertisements.