Three granted $500,000 bail for gang, human-trafficking charges

Two men and a woman were granted bail when they appeared before an Arima magistrate on Wednesday to answer charges of human trafficking and being leaders of a gang.

A police media release on Wednesday reported that Rod Willis, 49, and 21-year-old Nathaly Gomez Leandres, both of Tacarigua, and Atiba Richards, 45, of Chaguanas, were each charged with two counts of being a gang leader, and one count each of trafficking in children.

Leandres and Richards were also charged with inciting a child to become a prostitute and facilitating child prostitution, while Richards was also charged with the sexual penetration of a child.

The three appeared before magistrate Brambhanan Dubay in the Arima Magistrates’ First Court and were granted bail with surety in the sum of $500,000 each.

As part of the bail conditions they are expected to report to police stations in their various districts once a week between 6 am and 6 pm.

Willis, Leandres and Richards were among five people held by police in Arima on Saturday in relation to an alleged human-trafficking and child-prostitution ring.

The charges were laid by acting Cpl Persad of the Northern Division after being advised by Director of Public Prosecutions Roger Gaspard SC on Tuesday.