MORE than ten Venezuelan nationals have been fined for entering Trinidad and Tobago illegally.
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) in a media release on Wednesday stated that 13 out of 15 Venezuelan nationals were fined after being arrested by officers of the TTPS Immigration Investigations Unit.
Two men are remanded into custody pending further investigations.
Five Venezuelan females and ten Venezuelan males were arrested between 8.30 am and 2 pm on Monday 11 and between 10 am and 3.30 pm on Tuesday during exercises conducted by officers of the Immigration Investigations Unit, Areas North and South.
The intelligence-led exercise was coordinated by Supt Pariman, ASP Ramdass, Insp Philip and Sgt Daulat and involved the officers conducting searches at several locations in the Southern and Western Divisions.
The 15 individuals appeared virtually before Magistrate Armina Deonarinesingh, where they pleaded guilty to the charges.
The five females were all fined $5,000 each or in default face nine months’ simple imprisonment, while eight of the ten males were fined $5,000 each or in default nine months’ hard labour.
They have 30 days in which to pay the fines.
The exercise was part of an ongoing initiative of the TTPS Immigration Investigations Unit of the Criminal Investigations Department (CID).
Meanwhile, officers of the Four Roads CID and Canine Branch conducted an exercise in the Petit Valley district between 4 pm and 8 pm, on Tuesday during which they arrested one male suspect and a quantity of marijuana.
The drugs were found hidden in a silver Nissan B-14 motor vehicle and weighs approximately 1.1 kilogrammes.
Investigations are ongoing into the above matter the TTPS states.
