KINGSTON, Jamaica (CMC):

Police here last Friday arrested several alleged prostitutes during a series of raids at a number of hotels and guest houses on the popular Portmore stretch informally called 'Back Road'.

Lawmen said they took 17 commercial sex workers into custody from properties along the Port Henderson Road in the dormitory community of Portmore, St. Catherine.

According to radio reports, operators of the hotels were also charged for using their premises for illicit sex acts.

During the operation, it was discovered that one of the suspected sex workers was wanted on a warrant in St. Mary after standing surety for an accused person who has since absconded.

This was the second such police raid this month on 'Back Road', a popular area of entertainment and intimacy among lovers, which has been smeared in recent years by the increasing incidence of prostitution.

The police say the drive will continue in the coming months.