ALMOST 30 Venezuelan nationals have been detained by police in Mayaro.

The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) reported via media release on Friday that 28 females were found on the premises of a sports bar without proper documentation or identification.

Officers of the National Special Operations Unit (NSOU) conducted an intelligence-led operation in the Eastern Division between the hours of 1.50 am and 3.30 am  when officers acting on intelligence visited a Sports Bar in St Ann’s Village, Mayaro, where  they were detained.

The migrants were taken to the Mayaro Police Station, accompanied by the bar owner, who is assisting officers with their inquiries.

Crime Scene Investigators, along with officers from the Mayaro Police Station, processed the location and facilitated medical examinations for the detainees.

The Immigration Enforcement Section and the Counter-Trafficking Unit have been notified and were expected to take further action, police stated.

 The operation was coordinated by Assistant Commissioner of Police Smith and Acting Assistant Superintendent St Clair, with support from local law enforcement personnel.

The operation comes hours after Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said her government will not deal lightly with illegal immigrants or legal ones committing illegal activity in Trinidad and Tobago.

She also said her government was currently working on a migrant policy that will be rolled out in the coming months, specifically to address the increase in drug and human trafficking being perpetuated by Venezuelan nationals.

During her post-Cabinet media briefing on Thursday, Persad-Bissessar also asked Venezuelans already in the country to begin returning to their home country.