A release from the Police Public Relations Office yesterday said the juvenile was escorted to Georgetown for further enquiries but the other girls and the proprietor have since been released on bail to report back to the Springlands Police Station.

The arrests were part of the police investigation into TIP activities in Guyana. Guyana currently faces sanctions from the US government for not being adequately prepared to deal with trafficking.

According to the release, the police acting on information, dispatched ranks from the Juvenile Department based at CID headquarters, Eve Leary to the Corentyne where they arrested the liquor restaurant proprietor and the girls who were all allegedly involved in illicit activities.

The girls were all from the Essequibo and interior areas and were allegedly taken to the Corentyne by the proprietor.

The police said that efforts have since been made to contact the parents or other relatives to verify the identities of the girls and the circumstances surrounding their departure from their homes.

It is believed, the police said, that the business is used as a breeding ground for unsuspecting females, who are induced to migrate to Suriname or Brazil.

On Thursday, Minister in the Ministry of Labour, Human Services and Social Security, Bibi Shadick told Guyana and Geology and Mines Commission officials that in many cases when female minors are being used in trafficking it was difficult to ascertain their age due to the lack of birth certificates or proper identification.