BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - POLICE in Trinidad and Tobago seized a shipment of Cocaine worth over $.5 million on Wednesday (Oct. 11) that was destined for neighbouring Antigua and Barbuda.
The drug bust was executed in a “well coordinated operation involving an intelligence arm of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and officers of the Northern Division”, police said in a media statement.
The TTPS said that over the past months it had “identified a drug trafficking network based in the Northern Division, which shipped narcotics concealed amongst legitimate cargo through local courier services, destined to regional and international associates”.
The TTPS added: “The TTPS then gathered further intelligence and information through coordinated efforts with its regional and international law enforcement partners. On Wednesday 11th October 2023, the team of officers intercepted a package with car parts destined for Antigua. When scanned, the officers detected certain anomalies. The officers then searched the package and found 363 grams of cocaine, with an estimated street value of $501, 812”.
Commenting on the seizure, Commissioner of Police Erla Christopher said, “This is not only another win for the TTPS, but it is a win for all of us, as each drug interception is a setback for the criminal elements. As we partner with both local, regional, and international allies, we hope to see further dismantling of these drug trafficking networks, and a reduction in the crime that they generate.”
That discovery is alarming for the Federation and other territories, as the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force had seized varying quantities of cocaine in recent weeks. And that came several months after nationals of Trinidad and Tobago, and Grenada were charged and sentenced after illegal drugs were found on their vessels in Basseterre.
In that incident, which occurred in October last year, police had reported that MV Elizabeth C, which is registered in Trinidad & Tobago with the International Maritime Organisation number 8894574, was searched and vegetable material in transparent vacuum-sealed bags suspected to be Cannabis Sativa were also found.
Five male crew members aboard the vessel - three nationals of Trinidad & Tobago and two nationals of Grenada and Carriacou - were nabbed and charged.
While searching, the police found 32 bales each consisting of 25 kilo blocks, which amounted to 800 kgs of Cocaine, and 16 transparent vacuumed plastic bags with 5.830 kgs/12.852 pounds of suspected Cannabis Sativa.
The suspected Cocaine had an estimated street value of approximately US$26,400,000 or EC$71,280,000, while the suspected Cannabis Sativa had an estimated street value of approximately US$57,777 or EC$156,000.
