Amid widespread allegations, President of the Trinidad and Tobago Aggregate Producers Alliance (TTAPA), Nigel Tenia, claimed that his murdered friend and business associate, Danny Guerra, was a financier of Toco/Sangre Grande candidate Wayne Sturge in the 2025 general election.
Tenia claimed that had it not been for Guerra’s active campaigning for the United National Congress, it would have been difficult for Sturge to topple People’s National Movement candidate Roger Monroe.
After winning the seat, Sturge was appointed Minister of Defence by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Sturge, to date, has not commented on such claims or speculation that Guerra funded or was integral to his political campaign.
Asked if Guerra expected anything in return after financing the party, Tenia did not hold back.
“Danny would have been a fool to not expect something. And I know he was not a fool.”
Tenia and Guerra had been friends for 12 years.
Before making a business deal or jumping into a new project, Guerra confided in Tenia and sought his advice.
Tenia could not say how much Guerra would have pumped into Sturge’s campaign.
“When you saw what was displayed on social media, yeah, it was in the tune of millions.”
At the beginning of Sturge’s campaigning, Tenia said he, along with other businessmen, advised Guerra that while it was his choice to fund a campaign, he should have taken a back seat.
“I told him he was too frontal. What he said to me, that, you know, they (UNC) would not win if people didn’t know I was behind it.”
Tenia said Guerra had a lot of influence in the constituency as a businessman and someone who could capture the hearts and minds of the voting population.
“But the campaign was sluggish initially for those who were close to him…and only really started to bear fruit when he (Guerra) went up on the truck and started to woo the crowd on to join him and what he believed was the right thing for Toco/Sangre Grande as a constituency.”
Tenia said Guerra became the face of Sturge’s campaign, which led to a shift in people voting for the UNC.
Videos of an excited Guerra and Sturge, clad in UNC jerseys, also surfaced on social media.
Guerra was a PNM supporter but switched his allegiance to the UNC.
In the 2020 general election, PNM’s Toco/Sangre Grande candidate Roger Monroe won the seat with 10,694 votes, edging out UNC’s Nabila Green, who captured 7,303 votes. Of the 41 constituencies, Toco/Sangre Grande had the highest voting population with 32,498 electors.
Compared to the 2025 general election, 31,186 people had registered with the Elections and Boundaries Commission to vote in Toco/Sangre Grande.
A breakdown of last year’s election results showed that UNC’s Wayne Sturge emerged victorious with 9,728 votes, while PNM’s Roger Monroe secured 7,363 votes. The number of people who voted in the constituency was 17,691.
Tenia, who owns a hardware store, said these are some of the things business people do when there’s an election.
“It is public knowledge that some businessmen finance either party in both instances.”
They do this, he said, to either promote or invest in parties because some of the promises made on the campaign trail and in the manifestos would come to fruition.
“As I know, he would have banked his money on some of these promises that would have been made to his constituents. And I guess to him as an individual. This is how he saw Toco/Sangre Grande being developed.”
Tenia said Guerra was big on improving the lives of the youth and getting them to think and act positively.
“One of the things he would have been making certain of is how we’re going to deal and treat the youths of Toco/Sangre Grande. What are we going to give them?”
Sturge was Guerra’s attorney at one point in time.
Asked if Guerra was promised contracts to build houses, Tenia said, “I don’t believe he had an appetite for any type of public-private partnership (PPP). But as I said, I was not privy to any of the conversations that he would have had with the party.”
He said DG Group of Companies had constructed 500 private homes, and Guerra wanted to continue along that path.
“No assassination plot”
Tenia said Guerra stood in shock when the media reported that he was allegedly involved in a plot to assassinate Sturge.
“They say you shouldn’t put your head on a block for a person. But if you have known him for more than 12 years. If you know somebody, some things are out of context. They are out of character. I have never heard him (Guerra) threaten anyone. As a matter of fact, I have always heard him talk about peace in the industry.”
In November last year, Guerra was detained under a preventative detention order (PDO) for an alleged plot to assassinate a Government minister.
But Tenia described Guerra as “a saltfish,” stating that “his bark was more vicious than his bite. He was not the type to pursue trouble.”
When Guerra graduated from secondary school with a few passes, jobs in Sangre Grande were hard to come by.
Guerra did odd jobs until he was hired as a labourer in a quarry.
He learned the ropes of the mining industry, then ventured into home construction, and later became a quarry operator.
“Danny had a lot of ambition. He was a visionary. He got out of his bed at three in the morning to start work.”
Before his killing, Tenia felt Guerra was spreading his wings too quickly.
“What we realised too is that he would ask our opinions on certain ventures that he wanted to go into and I personally remember saying to him, I feel that’s a bit too much for now based on the resources, based on the economy, because the further you go and the wider you spread, if the structure is not right, it takes a toll on you as the, owner.”
However, Guerra always proved him wrong by challenging himself.
“He had a burning passion in him to achieve things.”
Oftentimes, Tenia pleaded with Guerra to slow down.
“Danny Guerra was the type of person that if he felt he had achieved or conquered his objective, he would be moving on to the next. He was very persistent.”
Tenia remembered his last conversation with Guerra was about business plans and how the media portrayed him as an underworld figure.
“I spoke to him less than 24 hours before he passed,” he recalled.
“He was planning to venture further. Actually, he had planned to attend China’s Canton Fair in April. Danny was identifying again some of the things he was aiming at.”
The Canton Fair is China’s largest trade fair for sourcing products and exploring innovation across industries.
“Guerra let his guard down”
In that conversation, Guerra also maintained that he had no reason to prove people wrong based on media reports.
“Danny felt that once you get to know him, he is anything but the narrative that was being painted against him.”
Tenia said he often asked which underworld figure would walk by without henchmen, stating that Guerra never saw the need to hire security officers to shield him.
Asked if Guerra had enemies, Tenia said someone with enemies would not walk alone.
Did Guerra ever mention that he was fearful for his life?
“No, he wasn’t,” Tenia said, insisting that the last thing on his mind was for Guerra to be killed.
Pained by Guerra’s passing, Tenia said the country has lost a true gem.
He said if anyone came to rob Guerra, he would have willingly handed over his cash and valuables.
In hindsight, Tenia felt Guerra let his guard down.
“We believed so, close friends and associates.”
When Guerra was detained on allegations that he led an organised crime group involved in arms trafficking, money laundering and illegal quarrying at the Eastern Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre, Tenia visited him.
“He kept saying he had no idea where this was coming from. But felt confident that the longer this matter drags on, the truth will be revealed.”
What Tenia found strange was that many people were involved in quarrying, yet only a few were arrested and charged.
It was at this juncture, Tenia said, that Guerra’s troubles started.
Asked why Guerra operated a quarry without a licence, Tenia said he could ask the same question about other quarry operators.
“What people don’t realise is that this industry has been operating….no one has received a licence for sand and gravel from 2000 to 2026. We don’t believe it was political because this has straddled over the years while different administrations were in power.”
Tenia said licences were issued for quarrying and processing limestone.
“I know Danny wanted things in place that would allow every operator to abide by a set of rules and not to go through a process that was a maze.”
Once Guerra is laid to rest, Tenia said his family would have to make some tough decisions regarding his company.
Guerra: Son of Sangre Grande soil
Touted to be one of Sangre Grande’s wealthiest businessmen, Danny Guerra’s notoriety left an indelible mark on North Oropouche Road when he was gunned down in his company’s parking lot more than a week ago.
When Guardian Media visited the business place last Tuesday, residents, too scared to give their names, spoke highly of Guerra, stating that his company was successful in building premium residential homes in and outside of Sangre Grande.
The murder has brought a feeling of sadness and unease among residents who stated that Guerra was popularly called the “gravel king” and “quarry boss.”
Guerra, 49, a father of four, moved from humble beginnings to become a high-profile businessman who was described last year as a clear and present danger for an alleged plot to assassinate Defence Minister Wayne Sturge.
He was also charged with unlawful processing of aggregate last October.
In the 20 years he operated his business, Guerra offered financial assistance to struggling families, provided jobs and contributed to recreational, cultural and sporting events in the northeastern region.
However, Guerra’s prominence and prosperity were cut short when two masked gunmen shot him multiple times on March 13 while he was seated in his vehicle outside his Sangre Grande establishment.
Many of the residents who attended Guerra’s wake, held in the very carpark where he was killed, admitted it was one of the biggest they had seen in years.
Along North Oropouche Road, they lit flambeaux in remembrance of Guerra.
A stone’s throw from the murder scene, one resident said he was still disturbed by the video of Guerra’s killing that circulated on social media.
“It was too painful to watch,” he said, shaking his head in disbelief.
He wondered who would have wanted to take the contractor’s life and why.
“It’s so puzzling to us,” said a 73-year-old man who watched Guerra grow up in the community.
“Danny was well-loved up here. I don’t think he had enemies because he never walked with bodyguards around him for protection or safety.”
The man said he watched Guerra attend North Oropouche Government Primary School and then Malick Senior Comprehensive School (now Malick Secondary).
“In Danny’s younger days, he played football and cricket barefoot with them boys in the community,” the elderly man recalled.
Guerra’s mother, Ethel St Edwards, lived in the community but moved out. His father, Christopher Stephen, was a police officer but died.
Few people know about his siblings.
“Danny came from humble beginnings and worked his way to the top. He wasn’t born with a gold spoon in his mouth. He struggled and sacrificed to start his business in Sangre Grande,” he said.
Guerra described as pillar in the community
As a son of the soil, the man said he felt proud as Guerra’s business took flight in Sangre Grande.
“To us, Danny was a home boy who made it big.”
He said Guerra often called him out on mornings after coming out of his vehicle in his carpark.
Through a chain link fence, Guerra could have seen him relaxing under a shed, basking in the fresh morning breeze.
“He would ask, ‘Boss, how yuh going?’ I would always reply ‘I am going good after God.”’
Those friendly greetings, the man said, he looked forward to.
“Danny was a pillar in this community. He did a lot for Sangre Grande. He got the road paved on our street. Well, what would I say? He was good to me. He was good to my family and everybody,” he said, his voice dropping as he spoke.
A stone’s throw away, two women chatting in their verandah said they knew Guerra to be “a nice person” but never had any personal interaction with him.
They said Guerra always donated something to the community’s sporting events, meetings or functions.
“He always gave from his heart. Danny always wanted the best for the community. Nothing was hard for him to do. So this shooting thing have everybody confused, uneasy and sad. This is shocking. We never expected this.”
A worker at KC Mini Mart, a place Guerra frequented on Fridays after work with friends to relax, lime and drink a few beers, said he was always pleasant and friendly.
“Danny was a sweetbread in Sangre Grande.”
The worker said Guerra was one of their biggest customers, whom she would miss dearly.
Another resident said he felt privileged working as a labourer for Guerra on his farm.
Before forming his company, Guerra sold pork as a side hustle and planted string beans in Valencia.
The man was one of two labourers hired by Guerra to harvest the legume.
He said Guerra paid him well and provided meals when they worked long hours.
“Danny became one of Sangre Grande’s wealthiest business tycoons who never lost touch with the people on the ground. That man remained one way all his life…always laughing and making jokes with everyone. It was a quality I always admired about him. Even in his most difficult time, nothing seemed to bother him,” he said.
The residents said all they want is for the killers to be brought to justice.
“Guerra, a clear and present danger”
On October 11, 2025, Guerra and his son, Garvin, along with 16 others, were charged with unlawful processing of aggregate and granted $50,000 bail each by a justice of the peace.
That police operation at Manuel Congo, Arima, resulted in the seizure of a multi-million-dollar processing plant, trucks and other heavy machinery. The police investigation stemmed from this incident.
However, one month later, in November, Guerra was detained under a detention order in the previous State of Emergency (SoE) for an alleged plot to assassinate Defence Minister Wayne Sturge.
At the time, reports suggested that the threat was linked to illegal quarrying and political influence and was “a real and present danger.”
Reports also suggested that the threat stemmed from Sturge’s refusal to install individuals hand-picked by politically connected figures into state and constituency-level positions.
On November 20, 2025, Guerra was arrested under the SoE provisions by the Special Investigations Unit, on allegations that he led an organised crime group involved in arms trafficking, money laundering and illegal quarrying.
The order said Guerra’s group had access to high-powered firearms and intended to escalate attacks against rival gangs in public places.
After being detained for six weeks, Guerra was released on January 3, 2026, and 69 days later, he was fatally shot.
