T&T has recorded its first conviction under the Trafficking in Persons Act.

However the man found guilty will not immediately begin his prison sentence, since he is not in custody.

Yesterday in the High Court, Anthony Michael Smith was found guilty of five charges and given 15 years in jail for each count, with the sentences to run concurrently.

The victim was 16-years-old at the time of her ordeal, which spanned December 2014 to November 2015.

Smith however was last seen in September 2023 at the start of his trial – he disappeared despite being tracked under the electronic monitoring programme.

He is the second person to disappear while being monitored, however the TTPS says the other individual was found shortly after.

Despite this, National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds believes it does not leave a stain on the electronic monitoring system.

He adds that warrants have been issued for Smith, who will be jailed when found.
The Minister also hopes the conviction will help T&T’s standing in the US Trafficking in Persons Report, where it has been on the Tier 2 watch list for the past three years.

In the 2023 report, the US State Department recommended increased efforts to investigate and prosecute traffickers, among other things.