Police rescue 11 human trafficking victims in Mt Lambert

POLICE rescued 11 Venezuelan women believed to be victims of human trafficking from a house in Mt Lambert on October 24.

In a release, police said the women were being held against their will and sexually exploited.

The release said their rescue was part of an intelligence-led operation that targeted a suspected human trafficking network.

Officers assigned to an intelligence unit, in collaboration with the officers from the Port of Spain Division and the Immigration Enforcement Unit, received information and went to a house on Fletcher Street, Mt Lambert.

Officers raided the premises and found 12 Venezuelan women in an apartment at the back of the compound.

Immigration Enforcement officers determined only one of the women had legal entry status in Trinidad and Tobago while the remaining 11 women had entered the country illegally.

A Cuban man who was supposed to be deported in 2019 was also detained.

The rescued women were transported to the St Joseph Police Station, where they were interviewed by Immigration Enforcement Officers and the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU).

The TTPS said it remains committed to combating human trafficking and ensuring the safety of all individuals and encouraged the public to report any suspicious activity.