No request from Venezuela to extradite head of human-trafficking ring from Trinidad

The Venezuelan authorities have not yet formally asked the Trinidad and Tobago government to arrest and extradite the ringleader of a human-trafficking ring reportedly uncovered last week in Venezuela.

Venezuela's attorney general Tarek William Saab said on January 18 that several people, including two minors, had been rescued from a human-trafficking ring that operates in TT.

Saab said 11 people were arrested in Tucupita, Venezuela.

The organisation, he said, was headed by a 30-year-old woman, whom he named, who was in Trinidad.

"We hope that the authorities arrest and deport her," he added. He did not clarify whether the legal process of requesting extradition had already begun.

Speaking with Newsday last Friday at his ministry, National Security Minister Stuart Young said he had not seen any request or information from the Venezuelan government on the matter.

Newsday tried unsuccessfully until Wednesday afternoon to obtain further information from the Venezuelan embassy in TT and from Saab's office.

The Venezuelan press has not reported on the issue since Saab's press conference in Caracas.