Former CTU head praises officers for work on human-trafficking case

Alana Wheeler -

FORMER director of the Counter Trafficking Unit (CTU) of the National Security Ministry, Alana Wheeler, has praised the work of a special investigations task force that led to a major breakthrough in a 2019 human trafficking and money laundering investigation.

This case has now resulted in the forfeiture of illicit funds to the state, after the court found that the money was linked to human trafficking and money laundering activities.

“When you are talking about organised crime, you also have to hit the money,” Wheeler said.

“I give high commendations to the special investigations task force. They did fantastic work! They need to be recognised and commended for the work they did on that case.”

Wheeler was with CTU from 2013 to 2022. She started as deputy director and became director in 2016.

Wheeler recalled that the investigation began after a Spanish-speaking female minor was rescued during a raid at a “Secret Sunday” event on Lady Chancellor Road in Port of Spain.

Wheeler said the child was placed under state care and later became the first trafficking survivor admitted into the Witness Protection Programme, alongside a relative.

Recognising the significance of the case, Wheeler recalled that she and senior police officials formed the task force, operating under the Special Investigations Unit.

The multi-agency team, which included officers from the Child Protection Unit (CPU) and Victim and Witness Support Unit, uncovered a larger trafficking network during follow-up operations.

“I do not know why it took six years for the case to ventilate in the Magistrate’s Court, but I am very happy that it has reached this stage,” Wheeler told Newsday over the weekend.

“The task force was a team of about ten officers, including two female officers from the CPU. They would have initially interviewed the child, gathering excellent statements and information. Of course, using an interpreter.”

The child’s testimony also led to the identification of a Chinese national at a Westmoorings location, where large sums of multi-currency cash were seized.

Before that, on November 25, 2019, her testimony led CTU officers to a bar in Cunupia where 33 Spanish-speaking women were discovered, and the bar’s manager was held.

On July 29, 2025, acting Chief Magistrate Christine Charles ordered the forfeiture of TT$36,719, US$8,063, GY $60,060 and other foreign currencies under the Proceeds of Crime Act.

The court found the evidence that the Chinese national was directly or indirectly engaged in money laundering and human trafficking.

Wheeler said the case marked several “firsts,” including the formation of a specialised anti-trafficking task force and the integration of financial crime investigations.

She commended the FIB, CPU, and CTU officers, especially those who maintained a strong bond with the rescued child, whose case is still before the courts.

“This is how you tackle organised crime,” she said, noting the importance of targeting networks, not just individuals, and seizing assets to dismantle criminal enterprises," Wheeler said.

“If you address organised crime by charging one person, then you have not really dealt with the network. If you want to deal with a network, you have to attack it from all angles. You have to charge people and seize those assets, which is what you see has happened.”

She highlighted that a person might be able to function without a gallbladder or with just one kidney.

“If you cut off the head of the body, it can't function. To dismantle a network, you have to hit it really hard. So, when we are talking organised crime, that is what you have to do.”

A police statement on August 1 recalled that on December 16, 2019, Wei Hui Zhu was formally charged with offences related to the trafficking of a child, and the court granted an application for the detention of the seized funds.

The Financial Investigations Branch (FIB), operating under the White-Collar Crime Division and the direction of DCP Intelligence and Investigations, subsequently assumed responsibility for the financial aspects of the case.

“Their meticulous work traced the origins of the seized cash, connecting it directly to unlawful activities,” the statement said.