Linden hotelier released on station bail

Trafficking in Persons

The owner of a hotel and bar located at Wismar, Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) who was implicated in an alleged case of Trafficking in Persons (TIP) has been granted station bail.
The man was taken into Police custody in Linden at about 21:30h on Thursday last pending investigation for alleged Trafficking in Persons, after two foreign females found on the premises alleged they were being held at the hotel against their will.
The two females have since been removed from the business place and handed over to officials of the Counter-Trafficking in Persons Unit at the Social Protection Ministry as investigations continue.
Information from the Police indicated that ranks acting on information received of alleged TIP, went to the hotel and bar located at Burnham Drive, Wismar, Linden, which is owned by a 54-year-old businessman.
A search was conducted of the premises and two female Venezuelan nationals, ages 20 and 30 were allegedly found in one of the rooms. The females were questioned using a translator app, where they allegedly stated that they were being held at the hotel against their will and they were sold to the hotel owner by a man for $25,000 each.
A Police source close to the investigation told this publication that the matter is currently still under investigation and advice is being sought from the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) on the way forward.