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The Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) of the Ministry of Homeland Security has secured its first Preventive Detention Order (PDO) under the Emergency Powers Regulations, 2026, leading to the arrest of a suspect and the rescue of four victims of human trafficking during an operation in Rio Claro.

The exercise, dubbed “Operation Purple Ryain,” was carried out on Saturday at a property along Fraser Street following weeks of surveillance based on intelligence received through INTERPOL.

During the operation, officers executed a search warrant at the premises, where 11 individuals were found. After initial screening, four Venezuelan nationals were identified as victims of trafficking. They include two minors, aged 15 and 17, a 27-year-old woman, and a 30-year-old woman, who is the mother of the younger child.