Village elders and police in Trinidad are appealing to youths who might have taken the opportunity to cart away dozens of bales of cocaine which had washed up on the island’s rural eastern shores late last month to hand them over anonymously as heavily armed local cartel dealers from the city are moving in to themselves recover some of the bales and in the process several murders have already taken place.
Police in southeastern Mayaro Village, for example, last week recovered nearly 50 kilograms of cocaine worth about $4 million but intelligence sources say dozens of youths have already grabbed smaller quantities of the drugs and are trying to cash in by selling them off to known dealers.
But for those dealers who have not yet gotten any of the washed up bales, many are rummaging through villages, banging on doors and acting on rumors from neighbors as to which family they believe might have stashed quantities of the drugs in their homes and other places. This, police say, has already led to a few murders, intimidation of various families and injuries to others.
Police and the Express newspaper say the bales, which have washed up were mistakenly dropped off the coast by a light aircraft and washed ashore along villages like Mayaro, Manzanilla and San Grande causing terror and a frenzy as many residents try to cash in on this opportunity to make quick, easy cash.
“I see people running up and down with drugs and the man I was working with told me don’t touch nothing. About five hours after, I see a big maxi pull up with people from town. People start to get beat up, people start to get shot. Thank God I was able to go on top of a locker and hide myself,” one villager told the Guardian.
Police Chief Earla Christopher has appealed to residents to quietly hand over any quantities of drugs in their possession to avoid any trouble. The Express says the nearly 50 kilos, which have been recovered so far are part of a larger shipment of 1,500 which were dropped by the aircraft using the wrong coordinates.
Mayaro lawmaker Rushton Paray is upset that police and the military lack enough resources to both protect residents and to patrol the ocean to recover any other set of bales that might still be floating around. He says he has heard reports of people being beaten up and bullied by dealers, anxious to put their hands on any bales.
“There’s one vehicle for court and process, one for the CID and one for whatever it is they have to do. What is happening to patrols? In the past, you had joint police and soldier exercises from Toco to Manzanilla to Galeota Point. All of that has been washed away, so the drugs coming up on the seashore is just a symptom. The Mayaro Police is doing the best that they can. All I can do as the MP is to call on the minister to give us the resources that we need, to get those boats out there and put the helicopters in the air to make a real attempt to put control on the escalating crime situation in the country,” Paray said.
Earla Christopher told reporters that officers from various departments have been deployed to enact anti-crime measures in the coastal areas under siege.
Police Commissioner Erla Harewood-Christopher said Eastern Division officers have undertaken anti-crime measures consistent with the TTPS’ Violent Crime Reduction Plans in response to the recent drug find in the Guayaguayare district. She said the measures have been intensified in response to concerns by residents and recent incidents in the district. In the areas
“Officers of the Mayaro station, CID, force and emergency response have been conducting various intelligence-led exercises in collaboration with the inter-agency task force and the canine branch with the aim of keeping the division safe and secure. Specialist investigative assistance is provided by counterparts from the homicide bureau of investigations and special investigations unit.
“Further discussions are underway by Snr. Supt. Ryan Khan to have personnel of the T&T defense force assist with patrols. Snr. Supt. Khan is also supervising exercises investigating recent reports of robbery with aggravation, robbery with violence and assault with intent to rob,” the chief said.
