A woman implicated in a human trafficking sting operation over the weekend, was granted $20,000 bail.
Cheryl Thompson, or Cheryl Jeanery as she is locally known, made her first St John’s Magistrates’ Court appearance on Tuesday before Joanne Walsh, chief magistrate.
Thompson was ordered to deposit $5,000 and further instructed to have two Antiguan sureties sign on her behalf.
Attorney Michael Archibald was told that his client is to return to court on April 19 when committal proceedings are scheduled to take place. The process is to determine whether the prosecution would have made a sufficient case to forward the matter to the High Court.
Police formally charged Thompson of Paradise View, the owner and proprietor of Jam Dung Night Club, with four counts of human trafficking. The alleged offences occurred between Nov. 30, 2017, and Feb. 9, 2018.
In the early hours of Saturday, a joint operation was conducted on two separate establishments, Jam Dung Night Club on lower Nevis Street and Wendy’s Night Club on Popeshead Street.
Thompson and others – women and men – were taken into custody and questioned in connection with allegations of human trafficking. Several persons, who were deemed to be potential victims of human trafficking were also questioned and released pending further investigations.
Nineteen women were picked up, 11 from the Popeshead Street establishment and eight from Jam Dung. The women range from ages 21 through 35.
