Maroc - NEWSDAY.CO.TT - A la Une - 11/Oct 15:45

Illegal quarry boss, 17 employees charged after Manuel Congo raid

POLICE have charged the owner of an illegal quarry at Manuel Congo, Guanapo and 17 of his employees with unlawful processing of minerals without a licence. A police statement on October 11 said the suspects were charged under Section 45 of the Minerals Act and are scheduled to appear in court on October 22. They were each granted $50,000 bail by a Justice of the Peace in the wee hours of October 11. In an operation on October 9, led by Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro, Deputy Commissioner (Intelligence and Investigations) Natasha George, ACP Richard Smith, head of the Multi-Agency Task Force Supt Leon Haynes, and other specialised units, police moved in on the illegal quarry operations and caught several machine operators, truck drivers and workers on site. The quarry operator was arrested in a simultaneous exercise. Investigations remain active as officers pursue additional evidence and identify further conspirators, the statement said. Police said they targeted the illegal quarry for over a year as it not only resulted in a loss of aggregate worth millions of dollars, but also led to "deforestation and unauthorised extraction of aggregate material, but also from the downstream financing of organised crime, including gang violence and homicides linked to territorial control of these illicit sites." According to the statement, Guevarro praised the officers for "their diligence and strategic precision, reaffirming the TTPS’ commitment to protecting national resources and public safety. He emphasised that the service will pursue every evidential lead in an effort to 'extract' all those involved and called on citizens to stand with law enforcement in dismantling organized criminal networks. “They dug deep to steal aggregate,” Guevarro said “But we dug deeper and this time, it wasn’t gravel we extracted.” Officers from the Multi-Option Police Section (MOPS), Special Operations Unit (SOU), and the Coastal and Air Support Unit (CASU), were also involved in the exercise. The site remains under police guard as investigations continue. The post Illegal quarry boss, 17 employees charged after Manuel Congo raid appeared first on Trinidad and Tobago Newsday.