By STACY MOORE Sunday, October 18 2009

TWELVE South American women were arrested early Friday morning after a police raid at a hotel in Marabella. The women are nationals of Suriname, Santo Domingo and Colombia.

A police report stated that between the hours of 9 pm on Thursday and 1 am on Friday, members of the Port-of-Spain CID together with Immigration Division officers, as well as members of the Inter Agency Task Force, conducted an exercise at the hotel.

The report stated the 12 South American women were between the ages of 21and 32. Police said seven of them are to be deported tomorrow while charges are to be laid against the others for prostitution and illegal entry into the country. Charges of tampering with passports are also expected to be laid. The women will appear before a San Fernando magistrate tomorrow.