- NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 08/Sep 19:15

CoP unclear whether washed-up bodies linked to US strike

Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro said it has not yet been determined if the bodies which washed up on Trinidad's north eastern coastline over the weekend are the alleged drug traffickers killed in a US airstrike on September 2, but it is being looked at. "We can only answer that after an investigation is done." Guevarro said on September 8. "We do not wish to speculate in the public, because that would cause fearmongering or any speculation otherwise. We have two bodies thus far has washed up with apparent injuries on those bodies. We will now investigate to determine where the bodies came from, if it is possible, because they were in an advanced state of decomposition. At the end of the day, we would let the evidence speak for itself." Guevarro's comment came in response to a question from Newsday as he toured five schools in South Trinidad, which would have officers stationed as part of a new programme to combat school violence and indiscipline. The commissioner declined to answer Newsday's question if a report of an apparent boat wreckage floating near Tobago was being included in the probe and if the inquiry would include searching for evidence that drugs were on the boat at the time of the strike. "I love the way that you take the question, switch it around and try to get me to comment on the same investigation that I told you we would not be commenting on." Newsday was also unable to reach Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander or Foreign and Caricom Affairs Minister Sean Sobers for comment on whether TT was working with Venezuela to identify and return the bodies, or if the US is involved in the investigation. On September 2, US military forces amassing in the Southern Caribbean over the last few weeks blew up a pirogue at sea with an airstrike. The White House said 11 people were killed and alleged it was a drug-smuggling operation being run by the Tren de Aragua cartel. The legality of the attack has since been questioned internationally, with many experts declaring it violated human rights and international maritime law. Locally, however, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar endorsed it, calling for traffickers to be violently killed due to their negative impact on TT's society. The first body was discovered at the Cumana beach, Toco, on the morning of September 5. It appeared to be that of a Latino and had missing limbs and signs of burns. Two days later, another body washed up, but at Balandra beach. It also appeared to be that of a Latino and had a missing leg. The post CoP unclear whether washed-up bodies linked to US strike appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.