Foreign Affairs Minister Winston Dookeran says no extradition request has as yet been made by the United States for anyone in connection with the $644 million drug seizure in Virgina last December.Dookeran made the comment in response to questions from reporters in Parliament, yesterday.His comments came in the wake of reports that the US Department of Justice had issued a diplomatic note to Dookeran's office for provisional warrants to be issued for three prime suspects in the case.
But he denied the claim."As of now, we have not as yet received any diplomatic note on this matter," Dookeran said.Pressed for further comment, Dookeran said: "That is all I can say at this time. We have received no diplomatic note."The reports had pointed out that the request was coming as Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officials were wrapping up their investigation of the drug shipment on this end. The officers arrived here last weekend and have been assisted by local law enforcement officers in their probe.
The cocaine was concealed in more than 700 tins of Trinidad Juice and were shipped out of the Port of Port-of-Spain by local company Caribbean Seaworks Ltd. However, investigations have revealed that Caribbean Seaworks Ltd has been defunct for several years now, but a local transnational drug ring has apparently been using its name to export their illegal cargo since then.
However, legal sources told the T&T Guardian that even if Dookeran's office had received the diplomatic note, he is sworn to secrecy due to the confidential nature of such matters.