Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 12/Sep 19:37

Coast Guard seizes $29m in marijuana, suspects held

A joint operation between the police, Coast Guard, and “international partners” has led to the seizure of over $29 million worth of high-grade marijuana after intercepting a vessel early on September 12. Two people have been detained, and a search is ongoing for three other suspects. A police statement on September 12 said a specialised police unit received credible intelligence on September 11 that a large consignment of high-grade Colombian “Creepy” marijuana was being transported from Venezuela to Trinidad aboard a fishing vessel. When international counterparts corroborated the information, the unit immediately co-ordinated with the TTCG, alerting them to the movement of the vessel. [caption id="attachment_1177885" align="alignnone" width="637"] Marijuana seized at sea. -[/caption] At around 3 am on September 12, the coast guard intercepted a pirogue off the Point Fortin coastline. The occupants attempted to evade capture, throwing several large garbage bags overboard. Three people escaped into the sea, while two others, a Trinidadian and a foreigner of Latin American descent, remained on board and were detained. The officers seized nine crocus bags containing 268 brown-wrapped packets of marijuana from the sea around the vessel. The marijuana has a combined weight of 268 kilogrammes and a street value of $29,412,196. The suspects, vessel, and the exhibits were taken to Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas, and handed over to police for further enquiries. [caption id="attachment_1177886" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Marijuana seized in a joint operation. -[/caption] Commissioner of Police, Allister Guevarro, commended the operation. “This successful interception highlights the strength of the police service’s intelligence apparatus and the effectiveness of precision policing when supported by our regional and international partners,” Guevarro said. “The illegal narcotics trade is a transnational threat that undermines security across the entire Caribbean, and no single man, nor island, can combat it alone. This operation demonstrates the results we can achieve when agencies work together and share intelligence.” He added that the police will continue to build on these relationships to protect the nation’s borders and dismantle criminal networks, which he described as “the nucleus of most of the serious violence and crime we face in our country.” “Together we will safeguard the people of TT,” the top cop said. Investigations are ongoing.   The post Coast Guard seizes $29m in marijuana, suspects held appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.