A specialised unit comprising various arms of law enforcement will soon be set up to deal with foreign nationals who are involved in criminal and gang-related activity in this country.
The was the word from National Security Minister Stuart Young yesterday, as he spoke to Guardian Media following two exclusive reports over the last few days which highlighted T&T law enforcement intelligence officers’ concerns over the fact that members of the notorious Venezuelan gang, Evande, had infiltrated this country and embedded themselves with local gangs.
Guardian Media also reported yesterday that a TT$40 million cocaine shipment organised by the notorious crime syndicate, Seniors, was destined for Trinidad and Tobago before it was intercepted by Venezuelan authorities.
Director of Cuerpo de Investigaciones Cientificas PenalesY Criminalistics (CICPC) Douglas Rico reported that the drugs were being transported in a convoy of luxury cars along the Puerto Ordaz-Maturin Highway before the law enforcement authorities intercepted them. Some 388 kilogrammes of cocaine were found in hidden compartments in two Hummer vehicles, two Chevrolets, a Mercedes Benz SLK 230, Ford Fusion and a jet ski. Two men were also arrested and have since appeared in court in Venezuela.
Yesterday, Young admitted he had asked that a special unit be set up to deal with foreign criminal elements in light of the apparent increase of criminal activity involving non-nationals.
“I have asked the Commissioner of Police and met with the heads of intelligence services and Chief of Defence Staff to set up a special unit to deal with any criminal elements and gang elements that come from outside Trinidad and Tobago,” Young said.
He said the Government would be making every effort to stamp out any foreign national bent on creating havoc in this country.
“We are not going to tolerate outside persons, non-nationals of Trinidad and Tobago importing their ways into Trinidad and Tobago,” Young stated emphatically.
Local intelligence reports seen by Guardian Media also suggested that the Venezuelan gang Evande is involved in the trafficking of narcotics and firearms into this country. The intelligence reports indicated that the gang, which comprises a membership of close to 650 members in Venezuela, had several hundred members present in T&T. The figure, according to the report Guardian Media saw, was close to 200 members.
But Young yesterday denied the figures were so high, stating, “There is no way in my humble opinion that the number of gang members quoted in that intelligence report would actually be here in Trinidad and Tobago.”
He added, “The numbers suggested from this Evande gang are questionable. In fact, yesterday I had a meeting with persons who were providing intelligence from on the ground in Venezuela and they don’t believe the numbers from the Evande gang exceed 150.”
Young said intelligence reports were a source of information and these reports were merely meant to give perspective unless they could be verified.
Young also commented on the $40 million cocaine shipment and the gang involved in the seizure. CICPC Director Rico had declared on his Twitter account that they “had infiltrated a criminal organisation dedicated to trafficking cocaine to Trinidad and Tobago” following their seizure in Venezuela.
Although the CICPC Director had emphatically tweeted detailed information surrounding the cocaine seizure and its alleged links to this country, Young was somewhat dismissive of this information.
“That is a report and it is somewhat speculative, I assume, as to where they believe the drugs were going. I am happy that they didn’t arrive and Venezuelan authorities stopped it. We are a transshipment point so it isn’t certain that the drugs’ final destination was here.”
With porous borders still facilitating the illegal entry of people, weapons, and narcotics into this country, Young said, “We have been putting a lot more emphasis on our borders, interceptors, fast patrol vessels are out there. Whatever we have is out there on the water,” Young said.
He said they were also still pursuing upgrades to the 360-degree coastal radar.