SAN IGNACIO, Cayo District, Thurs. Apr. 12, 2018– Police, along with the Immigration Department, conducted an anti-trafficking-in-persons operation in San Ignacio yesterday, during which bars and places of entertainment were raided and workers detained.

In the end, 75 persons were “reeled in”, but after they were interviewed, 16 were released and the remaining 59 were detained and will be dealt with by the Immigration Department, police said. They will be charged with illegal entry into Belize and deported back to their country after arraignment in court, where orders will be issued for their deportation.

The announcement was made this morning by Inspector Wilfred Ferufino, Deputy Commander of Crimes Investigation.

The Immigration Department also announced that at about 9:00 last night while conducting an operation on the George Price Highway near Clarissa Falls in the Cayo District, they stopped a van that was loaded with 15 passengers, who were Hondurans, and the driver of the van was a resident of Ladyville, Belize District.

The passengers were 7 adults and 8 children. The children have been handed over to the Department of Human Services, while the adults have been detained pending arraignment on charges of failure to present themselves to an immigration officer upon arrival.

They are expected to be deported back to their country, while the driver will face several charges in relation to human trafficking.

Immigration officers believe that the persons were being smuggled north to the northern border, and onward to the United States.