Ladyville resident charged with Human Trafficking

A Guatemalan national is tonight behind bars after a sixteen year old minor accused him of attempted human trafficking. The teenager alleges that between February twenty-second and March sixteenth, fifty-three year old Ladyville businessman, Jose Alfaro attempted to recruit her to work as a prostitute. She claims that he made another attempt on March seventeenth. Alfaro appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann Marie Smith this afternoon where he was arraigned on two counts of attempted human trafficking and pleaded not guilty.  The prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that Alfaro is a flight risk, the victim is a minor and the possibility that he may try to interfere with her. The Chief Magistrate upheld the objection to bail and remanded Alfaro into custody at the Belize Central Prison until April twenty-sixth.