The Venezuelan national shot dead in Woodbrook last week is believed to have been a notorious sicario (hitman) operating for the Venezuelan mafia, Venezuelan sources said on Friday.
In an exclusive Guardian interview, several Venezuelan nationals issued a call for security agencies to conduct thorough background checks on the criminal records of all Venezuelans applying to be registered in T&T next month.
Venezuelans who entered T&T illegally will be allowed to register in a two-week window begining on May 31, to obtain permits which will allow them to work and stay here in the first instance for up to a year.
Over the past month operatives of the Venezuelan mafia have been engaged in warfare which could lead to more bloodshed on the streets of T&T.
“Everyone from Venezuela knows the reputation of this sicario. He is very well known yet the authorities have allowed him to come here,” the source said.
The Venezuelan who was approached by a gunman around 9.45 am on April 4, was shot three times to the head near the United Nations refugee agency UNHCR.
With the political and socio-economic crisis escalating in Venezuela, the source said many more Venezuelans with criminal records will be coming to T&T.
Another Venezuelan national who was interviewed, also said the dead Venezuelans were “bad men” as he referred to the second incident where a man was shot dead while driving in Carenage on Thursday.
“If you look at the vehicle they drive you can tell that they are not doing legal work,” the source said.
His friend added, “Most of the law abiding Venezuelans cannot afford to buy food or pay rent. Life is very difficult in Trinidad and we do not want to stay here.” The Venezuelans said living in Trinidad depended on your luck.
“Some of us have our papers but the police will still lock us up. The ones who have no papers and who are doing bad things get to walk the road without any repercussion because they have money and can pay everybody.”
A Venezuelan store worker said many of them were planning not to register when the process begins in May.
He noted that the majority of Venezuelans in T&T legally or illegally were already working whether they had a work permit or not.
“You cannot issue a condition for a year because you don’t know what will happen in that time. Let’s say the conditions changed in my country and we can go back. You say after the year there will no extensions but what happens if Venezuela gets worse?” the worker asked.
