A Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) soldier and two others have been detained as authorities investigate the alleged trafficking and sexual exploitation of a 17-year-old Venezuelan girl who was reportedly lured to Trinidad with promises of employment before being exploited across both islands.

The Ministry of Homeland Security’s Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) yesterday described the arrests as a “major blow” to a human trafficking network, and one of its most significant intelligence-led operations to date. Deemed “Operation Iceberg”, the CTU says it was carried out over four days and is the first of its kind to have been done in Tobago.

The CTU said its preliminary investigations indicated that the 17-year-old girl was deceived by what appeared to be a legitimate employment opportunity in Trinidad before she was sexually exploited. It said the girl at one point believed she had escaped her ordeal and would be given a chance to rebuild her life in Tobago before returning to Venezuela, but instead, the exploitation continued.