The Guyanese police placed 14 Cuban women under protection during an operation for alleged human trafficking that took place on Wednesday in Bartica, a mining town in the South American country. A 33-year-old Cuban citizen was arrested in connection with the case.
The intervention took place after authorities received a report about a Cuban woman who was allegedly being held against her will in a property in that area, located in the Cuyuni-Mazaruni region.
According to the local media Demerara Waves, when the agents arrived at the scene, they found the 14 women and proceeded to transport them under protection to Georgetown, the capital of Guyana.
They are being interviewed and assessed by specialists from the Human Trafficking Unit, with the participation of the Ministry of Human Services and the Ministry of the Interior.
Authorities are investigating whether the Cuban women were victims of exploitation, although they have not yet confirmed the circumstances in which they were found or if all of them were being held against their will.
The suspect, whose identity has not been disclosed, remains in custody at Regional Police Division No. 4 "A" while investigations continue. No formal charges have been announced against him either.
Bartica is recognized as one of the main entry points to the mining areas in the interior of Guyana, where the extraction of gold and diamonds attracts foreign workers and where risks of labor and sexual exploitation have been documented.
Other operations for possible human trafficking involving Cubans in Guyana
In February 2026, authorities found 77 Cubans inside a building in Georgetown during an investigation for possible human trafficking.
Several of them stated that they had traveled to Guyana under credit agreements and that their passports were being held until they paid off the incurred debts. No arrests were made in that operation.
In May, two other Cuban citizens, Raudel Ramírez Valverde and Yenifer María Quevedo Millán, were processed for alleged offenses related to human trafficking, according to information from local media.
The vulnerability of foreign migrants is also reflected in the 2026 report from the U.S. Department of State on human trafficking in Guyana.
The document recorded 390 identified victims during 2025, of which 375 were foreigners, including individuals from Cuba.
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