Strip club raid… Investigators seek hotel owner for questioning

Jan 09, 2018 News

…37 women are receiving care under trafficking in persons laws

Investigators are actively pursuing a human trafficking probe and are interested in interviewing the owner of the Diamond Hotel and Bar. Some 50 persons were removed from the George Street property following an early morning raid on Friday.

The owner has been in contact with investigators through a lawyer, but they want to question him directly. Four women, identified as a Venezuelan, a Cuban and two Jamaicans, have been detained for questioning by investigators. Also detained were two employees.

Further, 37 women are deemed to be victims in care under the trafficking in persons provisions available to law enforcement officials.

Multiple agencies, including several armed police officers descended on the premises with a 30-seater bus along with several other vehicles.

Minister of Public Security, Khemraj Ramjattan, said the raid at the Diamond Bar and Hotel is part of a wider ongoing plan to crackdown on suspected strip clubs and their associated illegal activities of human trafficking and prostitution.

The Minister told Kaieteur News that the next move is to secure the cooperation of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to revoke the liquor licences for establishments found to be involved in the illegal activities.

Minister Ramjattan stated that based on the information he has received from the investigators, there was active surveillance carried out on the Diamond Hotel and Bar which revealed the presence of many girls from across the Caribbean and Venezuela.

As the raid was planned, officers were worried that leaked information would feed back to the owners of Diamond. Minister Ramjattan commended the officers involved for their professionalism in keeping the information concealed.

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