Police detain 14 DR ladies

Fourteen females from the Dominican Republic who arrived here last month and were detained, have been released into the care of a local businessman. {{more}}
Information received say the visitors claimed they arrived here on March 6 by chartered flight and were expected to stay at Cotton House on Mustique. Two Immigration officers reportedly allowed them to enter the country, even though they arrived here without return tickets.
However, they were later picked up by police after they moved from place to place and ended up at Macedonia Rock Hotel in Arnos Vale.
President of the Human Rights Association Victor Cuffy appeared live on Nice Radio last week calling for assistance for the detained Dominicanas, who he claimed he had visited at the Central Police Station. Cuffy decried the conditions under which the visitors were being held which he described as unsanitary.
Our reports say that sometime after arriving here, the visiting women had booked a flight to Barbados and left on one-way tickets. However on arrival in Barbados, immigration authorities there sent them packing back to St. Vincent since they had no ticket to return to their homeland.
Reports also indicate that the visitors made application to the French Embassy in St. Lucia for visas to travel to Guadeloupe which were granted. It seems though, that they had to abandon the trip since they did not have enough money.
Information received Wednesday afternoon said that two of the women left the state earlier that day.
The others, who had an Immigration Bond, signed for them by the local businessman, were released into his custody and given ten days to leave the state.
They are reportedly presently being housed at a facility in the Villa area.
While there had been allegations of prostitution, the police say they had no evidence to substantiate this and therefore no charges had been laid against the visitors.