Venezuelan woman among 4 on human trafficking charges

Three men and a Venezuelan women were remanded into custody after appearing before a Chaguanas magistrate on Monday on several charges including human trafficking and gang-related offences.

A TTPS release stated that Andrew George, 46, of Embacadere, San Fernando; Damien Scoon, 42, of Carlos Street, Couva; Matthew Ross, 39, of Chase Village, Chaguanas and Venezuelan Belzani Ortega Farias, 32, of Southern Main Road, Cunupia, were also charged with possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and possession of marijuana, when they appeared before Magistrate Rajendra Rambachan in the First Court.

Ross, George and Farias were additionally charged with supporting a gang leader in the commission of a gang-related offence, while Scoon, was charged with being a gang leader, possession of cocaine and possession of marijuana.

The matters were adjourned to next Monday. The accused were arrested on November 27, after officers from the Special Operations Response Team (SORT), the Counter-Trafficking Special Task Force and the Special Investigations Unit, raided two locations, including a bar, in the Central Division.

During the exercise, seven suspects were arrested and 46 women rescued. Officers also seized one Glock semi-automatic pistol, 13 rounds of ammunition, quantities of cocaine and marijuana and a quantity of cash.

Investigations were supervised by Sgt St Clair, while the accused were charged on Monday by PCs Antoine, Williams and Edwards, all of the Counter-Trafficking Special Task Force.