Owner of shipwrecked boat arrested in Venezuela

The Public Ministry of Venezuela on Monday charged Luis Ali Martinez, owner of the boat My Memories, in which a group of Venezuelans were shipwrecked en route to TT.

Tarek William Saab, Attorney General of Venezuela, posted on his Twitter account (@TarekWiliamSaab) about the arrest after several bodies were found in Venezuelan waters between Saturday and Sunday.

Saab ordered the arrest of six other people. He did not specify the charges.

He said the wreck of the boat left at least 20 people dead on December 12 on the coast of Guiria (Sucre). The authorities have not yet confirmed how many people were travelling in the boat.

Saab said the investigations are in the hands of the 3rd Prosecutor's Office, based in Guiria, and the 66th National Prosecutor's Office, which are overseen by the General Directorate for the Protection of the Family and Women, which investigates crimes of trafficking and human trafficking.

He said his ministry was committed to punishing "those responsible for these serious crimes who have organised as mafias, which operate between Sucre and the island of Trinidad, to promote human trafficking and smuggling for inhumane purposes."

The Venezuelan government confirmed on Sunday the discovery of 14 bodies, seven of them 11 miles from the coast of Guiria, and another three on a beach.

Saab said Venezuela is co-ordinating with the military authorities of TT in a maritime and air search for more bodies.

Venezuelan media reported that the boat left Guiria on December 6 and returned from Trinidad and Tobago.

The TT Coast Guard said on Sunday that it had not intercepted any vessels.