WILLEMSTAD.- For the second time, businessman Michael Koenze is considered a suspect in a human trafficking case. On Sunday morning, he was arrested as a suspect in human trafficking. The investigation in this case got the name of "Venus".

The judicial authorities entered the premises that the suspect was managing in Frederickstraat, and detained many women who worked as "trago meisje" and also undocumented persons.  As the police statement says, Koenze is suspect with charges of human trafficking.

On September 24, 2007, Koenze was sentenced in Court of First Instance for human trafficking. The act committed by him, happened between 2005 and 2006. Koenze and his wife were sentenced each, to 18 months in prison of which they got a benefit of 3 months of conditional imprisonment.

At that time, Michael's wife of Dominican origin sought women to go to Colombia. On their stop here in Curaçao, where they were exploited by him, according to the sentence of the judge at that time. They were hosting the women in a hotel that is right in front of their own business and then they had to work as prostitutes for Michael.

The detainees last Sunday, September 9, were mostly Venezuelan women. The police indicated that these 17 "trago meisje" were arrested, after being questioned, pending their statements and the investigation. They could be classified in the process as victims. The investigations will continue in this case called "Venus".