Police are now providing security for a local contractor who claims he is being extorted by an alleged gang leader based in east Trinidad.
The gang leader is allegedly seeking some $30,000 a month from the contractor to ensure the protection of the site and safety of the workers. Alternatively, the gang leader is asking the contractor to hire his gang members.
In an exclusive interview with Guardian Media, the contractor decided to speak out, also revealing audio and video recordings that capture the alleged gang leader attempting to extort him and making threats.
The ongoing project is located along the east-west corridor, and both the contractor and construction site are currently under police protection.
The gang leader, who operates in the Mt D’or area, reportedly started targeting the contractor a month ago, but it intensified over the last two weeks, when the nature of the calls and demands took a different and more concerning direction.
Following are excerpts from calls made by the gang leader to the contractor:
Contractor: Hello
Alleged Gang Leader: I don’t push no vibes towards you, I don’t come around allyuh or come and take over and all kind of mad thing but it is better I come and close down everything and nothing cannot go on because allyuh don’t want the principle of how things does run. I just showing you dawg. What I giving you is a whole overlook of security to make sure because all them years gone and I never try to let nobody disrespect allyuh. It is a year you all working there and nobody never come there and violate there under no level because of me, understand, that is the order I set.
Contractor: I will have to communicate your demands to the boss because I am meeting with him tomorrow.
Alleged Gang Leader: If you don’t want to comply, you done know. That company never give us nothing ever, so I really don’t give a f--- and whatever go on, go on because (contractor name mentioned) never do nothing for me and we surviving getting other wuk and getting other things from other places all the time for all these years, them never do nothing for f------ me, yuh dig. So, if a fella doesn’t want to comply or come to some agreement, he could f------- pack up and go he way, yuh dig, because that project will stay there till it falls down, we don’t care.
Contractor: Well, I will convey that to him.
Alleged gang leader: Get back on to me as soon as possible, I don’t really ting, even if the man have to talk to me, I am a reasonable man, I am not no f------ beast, yuh understand, I want him to come and say that he can hire so and pay so so, I could work to suite, yuh understand, so he could call me off you phone and we could relate, yuh dig and make sure that this could be possible.
Contractor: I will convey this to him and see if he can make a call.
This recording was done via phone call to one of the contractors, where the gang leader allegedly demanded that he hire members of the community and pay for security.
The next recording obtained by Guardian Media was an encounter at the site office, when the alleged gang leader and a few other men visited. The clip was 18 minutes long and we extracted some excerpts.
Alleged Gang Leader: You recording there ah wah.
Contractor: Yeah, I am recording, I record conversations so I can be accurate to my people down the road and the people that employ me
Alleged Gang Leader: I understand, you done know how the thing does go, we looking for work for men because look how long the work going on. I want you to listen to me to, you realise nobody never come here and interfere with nothing for a year because we set a trend and make sure and set a rule that nobody interfere with nothing here.
Contractor: You are not the first person who came here you know.
Alleged Gang Leader: If a man is to come here and do anything, that have to come to me first and that is just to start, right, let me show you this now. I don’t care, we have we own thing, we does get contracts, we does get all kind of things, we don’t have to fight up, we does live with good and this community is all about respect, yuh understand and we doh just go around anybody. I just want a fella comply because this is my community and we never come here in the past and now and violate.
In another exchange between the contractor and the alleged gang leader, the latter was concerned he was being played by the contractors. Here is the conversation:
Alleged gang leader: What I saying, hear what going on, I want to get on to that man (project owner) now boy, or else it have no work till Wednesday. I feel like I could just take off f------ current and run security every f------ thing, I telling you, because I find it is a big kicksy ting with me, yuh understand, I want to talk to the man today boy, let that man get on to me boy or else it have no work until boy, f--- that because that work don’t give we nothing and it never give we nothing but distress, we and we children. I don’t deal like this, I does deal with love. You want me to show you the kind of powers that I have or what?
Contractor: I don’t want to know that, I don’t want to see your power and don’t want to be part of it.
Alleged gang leader: Is love, I want to deal with all yuh with boy and want to show all yuh to know that, we on positive thinking here, yuh understand. I want to talk to that man today boy. It is nearly a year and I give all yuh the bligh boy and if I don’t get through, if a man touches a block on that site, I will break he hand, yuh understand. All yuh don’t know it have men want to come there and oppress alyuh, it have men ain working nowhere and their duty is to just rob and thief and do all kind of bad things. You know why is I preventing them from coming there, is I put up that force field from them from coming there but like all yuh don’t want to work with me boy.
Following the meeting and calls, the TTPS last week deployed officers to the project site to provide security so the project could be completed. The contractor was also placed under guard and has personal protection wherever he goes.
The recordings are now in the hands of the police and senior officers told Guardian Media the matter is being closely monitored.
Incidents increasing
Last month, Oropouche East MP Dr Roodal Moonilal urged the business community to take a decisive stance against extortion.
He highlighted the involvement of gang leaders and incarcerated individuals who have been making death threats and extorting “millions” of dollars from businesses. He called for a review or potential amendment of the Kidnapping Act, which addresses the issue of “using menaces to steal.”
Another incident of alleged extortion led to the murder of Housing Development Corporation contractor Kevin Barker in Maloney last month. Gangsters reportedly demanded 20 per cent of the estimated $90,000 contract he received for the rehabilitation of buildings there. He reportedly refused to pay the tax.
Also last month, Junior Prince, 52, and Keston Looknanan, 36, both from Kelly Village, Caroni, were charged with alleged extortion involving a business owner. The charges against them involve the accusation of demanding money through threats. They were both granted bail.
According to police reports, in July 2023, a business owner was allegedly coerced into making a $100,000 payment under threats of violence and the destruction of the establishment by fire.
The business owner reportedly complied and paid a sum of money. However, further demands for a recurring monthly “protection tax” were subsequently made.