Venezuelan authorities arrest 2 for human trafficking to Trinidad and Tobago

Venezuelan authorities have detained two people in connection with trafficking people to Trinidad and Tobago for sex under the guise of offering the victims jobs.

The authorities detained a 19-year-old woman in the state of Monagas and a man, 42, in the state of Delta Amacuro for human trafficking.

On Wednesday, Tucupita-based media outlet Tane Tanae credited the director of the Venezuelan Scientific, Penal and Criminal Investigations Corps (CICPC), Douglas Rico, for the information.

The article said the case became known through complaints and interviews with one of the victims' family. The authorities were informed that the victim was waiting to be transferred by people who offered them work in TT.

Investigators found out that the detainees offered the victims jobs in commercial premises in TT, indicating that they would be responsible for paying personal costs.

The suspects later held their victims captive for two days in a shelter in Tucupita.

The article added that victims were taken to Trinidad, where they were sexually exploited.

The suspects also took the victims' money for the trip, accommodation, and per diem (daily allowances to cover business travel expenses).

"After they settled the debt with their perpetrators, they left them abandoned in that country," the article said.

The authorities also seized a Keeway Arsen II motorbike as evidence.

The detainees were placed under the order of the Public Ministry of the Criminal Judicial District.

The article said the CICPC continues investigations to determine how many people are involved in the crime, to find and detain them so they can face the Venezuelan justice system.

No further information was given about the victims.

In February 2022, the Prime Minister in the House of Representatives quoted from a 2021 article titled – Venezuela's Other Plight: Sex Trafficking in Trinidad and Tobago, which said the demand for sex and prostitution in TT was being driven by a high rate of local consumption, "especially in the borough of Chaguanas."

The article was written by the Venezuela investigative unit of an independent Latin American publication, InSight Crime.

Dr Rowley's comments about the sex trafficking ring operating between both countries came in response to the remarks made by an Opposition MP in the Parliament about a shooting by the TT Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard had opened fire on a boat full of illegal migrants, killing a one-year-old Venezuelan.

Rowley was calling on the Opposition to "cease and desist" its verbal attack on the Coast Guard, adding the Opposition should have been more concerned about the fate of women being illegally trafficked into Trinidad for prostitution.

InSight Crime had reported that victims from beyond coastal hotspots had been targeted. It said women and minors from states far and wide – including Venezuela's capital district, Anzoátegui, Monagas and Lara – have reportedly ended up working in TT's illegal sex trade.

A research paper titled Trafficking of Women and Children for Sexual Exploitation in the Americas by the Organization of American States (OAS) found that victims in the Americas are sexually exploited through brothels, bars, massage parlours, street prostitution, and pornography.

Recently, the Multi-Agency Task Force (MATF) reported closing seven brothels in Port of Spain, Chaguanas, Freeport and San Fernando.

The US Department of State's 2022 Trafficking in Persons Report has listed TT as one of 34 countries on its Tier 2 watchlist.

The department places each country in the report on one of four tiers, with Tier 1 being the highest ranking based on the Trafficking Victims Protection Act of 2000 (TVPA).

Tier 1 does not mean a country has no human trafficking problem or is doing enough to address the crime. This Tier 1 indicates that a government has tried to address the issue that satisfies the TVPA's minimum standards.

The second is Tier 2, which suggests that a country's government falls short of the TVPA's basic requirements. However, it is making a lot of effort to conform to those standards.

The third category is Tier 2 watchlist which refers to nations whose governments are making considerable efforts to bring themselves into compliance with the TVPA's minimal standards but do not yet fully achieve those standards.

The fourth category is Tier 3. The report said these are countries whose governments do not fully meet the TVPA's minimum standards and are not making significant efforts to do so.

In TT, the police have detained several people over the years – locals including policemen, Venezuelans, and other foreigners – in connection with human trafficking offences.

About ten people were charged in 2022, and the matters are still pending before the court.