Customers flee

Ag Police Commissioner Everald Snaggs’ assault on Crime continued on Saturday night, when more than 40 officers of the Central Division swooped down on the Santa Maria Hotel at Chase Village early yesterday, announced their presence and arrested 26 persons, most for lewd dancing and stripping.

They also seized two guns and a quantity of drugs and arrested a man for living off the earnings of prostitution. Eight Venezuelans and two Colombians were among those arrested. Officers of the Immigration Department were called out to determine if the foreigners were in the country illegally and an interpreter was also called in to assist police in securing information from the Colombians and Venezueleans. Reports reveal that around midnight on Saturday, the party of officers led by Inspector Gopiecharan, Sgts Dennis Housend, Keith Sylvester and Ag Sgt Ajith Persad executed the search warrant at the hotel and surrounded the building. Women, who were on a stage dancing and stripping, were quickly arrested while other women involved in other illicit activities were also arrested. Nineteen of the women were charged with prostitution, while four others were charged with lewd and suggestive dancing and indecent behaviour. The ages of the women arrested were 18 to 45 years old.

A 31-year-old customer of the hotel was charged with aiding and abetting while another man was charged with keeping a disorderly house, keeping a brothel and living off the earnings of prostitution. A 19-year-old boy was searched by officers and a .380 Jennings pistol and a 9 mm semi-automatic gun with two rounds of ammunition were seized. Officers also discovered a large quantity of cocaine and marijuana carefully concealed in a toilet at the hotel. The police activities caused some of the patrons at the hotel to flee the scene bringing an abrupt end to all activities at the Santa Maria Hotel. Newsday learned that on Saturday, an entrance fee of $20 was charged for entry into the hotel. Customers were being offered a wide range of services starting from $100.

The exercise was coordinated by ACP Crime Oswyn Allard following complaints by Bhagna Trace residents about the illicit activities at the hotel and the prevalence of strange persons and cars transporting persons to and from the hotel during the early hours of the morning. The ACP Crime contacted officers of Central Division and surveillance work was carried out, which led to the arrests and seizures of the guns, ammo and drugs. All those arrested will appear before a Chaguanas Magistrate today. Other officers taking part in the exercise included PCs Ramsook, Williams, Narcis, Dhanai, Alexander, Guelmo, Tooleram, Francis, Edward Ali, Basraj, Samad and others. Following the police action on Saturday, residents of Bhagna Trace were in high praise of the police and called for swift action to be taken against other hotel owners where open prostitution and other illicit activities continue to flourish especially on weekends. Immigration officers told Newsday that several of the Colombians and Venezuelans who are arrested for prostitution have overstayed their time and are in the country illegally. The crackdown against prostitution and other illicit activities will continue. The same officers involved in the exercise, also went to a house at Carapichaima where they arrested a 25-year-old man and seized 1.4 kilos of marijuana.