I don’t sell women

A bedridden Cecil Sydney, 62, spoke to Newsday hours after a raid on his Elizabeth Street business place, late Saturday night, in which 74 persons were arrested.

“We are not trafficking in humans or drugs here,” an ailing Sydney told Newsday from his bed yesterday.

A contingent including police and immigration officers, soldiers and three sniffer dogs carried out a near seven-hour raid on the hotel and apartment buildings.

For the first time in its long history, Villa Capri has been shut down .

“I don’t know when we will reopen but I’m confident that we will be up and running soon,” he added. “We are not into any criminal activities here.”

Sydney confirmed the arrested women occupied the five nearby apartment buildings which are also owned and operated by him.

Three years ago, Sydney suffered a massive stroke and has been bed-ridden ever since.

He remains in charge of the business although his wife, a nurse, “does all the running around.”

Relatives yesterday told Newsday the raid, which ended at about 4.30 am, has weakened his condition.

Two decades ago, Sydney began operations on Elizabeth Street with only the hotel. He now owns the entire block having built five apartment buildings near the hotel

Sydney’s house, which he shares with some employees, is located on Pearl Street.

Sydney told Newsday the Spanish-speaking women who live in his apartments came to Trinidad to study English.

They come and go regularly, we provide hotel accommodation. They pay their rent and work in their spare time,” he explained. “Many of them are poor and what ever money they hustle they send it back home to their families.”

The crackdown by the Ministry of National Security on activities at the hotel has been described as part of its strategy to tackle human and drug trafficking in the country.

“But I don’t know what they are talking about,” he insisted.

Sydney said he was unaware of the legal status of the women and he felt he was being unfairly targeted by the ministry.

“They said they were looking for guns and ammunition and so they went through every room in the buildings, smashing everything in sight. They broke doors, smashed wardrobes, beds a deep freeze, in the end they went with the girls.”

He said his wife was in the bathroom when they burst in on her.

“No respect,” he said. They ransacked the office and took four of my cheque books. They even pointed a gun in the face of my one-year-old daughter,” he said shaking his head. He said the raid has affected his business as 80 girls and “ten men who work for me” are now “displaced.”