T&T – Venezuelan gangs now operating in Trinidad, UN says – NY Carib News

A recent UN report titled Caribbean Gangs: Drugs, Firearms, and Gangs (sic) Networks in Jamaica, St Lucia, Guyana and T&T, released on September 2, stated that Venezuelan criminal gangs are involved in serious crime in Trinidad and Tobago, both as rivals and in collaboration with local gangs.

The investigation found that criminals in Venezuela are committing, among other things, extortion, human trafficking and the smuggling of illegal substances and weapons.

It was said that drug trafficking in T&T is “thriving” and that the country is “a major transit point for cocaine and cannabis”.

According to the report, this country was very popular with organized criminal networks because it is only 11 kilometers from Venezuela and is not in the hurricane zone, making it an ideal place for human trafficking all year round.

“Furthermore, the strong cultural ties in southern Trinidad with Venezuela have made the coastal region, including Icacos, Cedros and Moruga, sites of extensive drug, arms and migrant trafficking.”

“The country has long struggled with drug trafficking and trafficking and a high rate of violent crime.”

According to the research, the T&T Coast Guard faces difficulties in screening maritime traffic, and their limited cooperation with their Venezuelan counterpart, the Guardia Nacional, also negatively impacts their interdiction rates. “The primary route for drugs into T&T is Venezuela and to a lesser extent Guyana and Suriname, with drugs being transported via commercial cargo, private go-fast boats and fishing vessels.”

The data shows that the number of seizures has decreased, although the public feels that drug trafficking has increased recently.

“While cannabis seizures increased from 2,890 kilograms in 2019 to 3,487 kilograms in 2021, they declined to 584 kilograms in 2022. Cocaine seizures also initially remained stable, from 320 kilograms in 2019 to 221 kilograms in 2021, before declining to just 20 kilograms in 2022.”

According to the study, T&T has previously documented large seizures, noting: “It is likely that these (current) figures significantly underestimate the scale of drug transport and trafficking in T&T.”

However, the report also notes two significant seizures that took place last year, which “suggests that the drug trade is flourishing.”

In May of the previous year, 168 kilos of cocaine bound for the US were seized by police in Chaguaramas with the help of the USDE. A boat carrying three tons of cocaine is said to have capsized in August 2023, causing approximately 46 kilos of cocaine to wash up on the shores in places like Manzanilla and Mayaro.

“Police also discovered cocaine packaged in car parts going from T&T to Antigua.”

Most of the weapons used by criminal organizations and gangs are imported from the US, despite allegations that some weapons are brought into Trinidad and Tobago from Venezuela.

“Some handguns and assault rifles were suspected of being exchanged in the ‘guns for drugs’ and ‘guns for food’ trade with Venezuelans, although the extent of the trade is unclear.”

Firearms from the US come to Trinidad and Tobago directly or via countries such as the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico.

“Assault rifles are also becoming increasingly common due to high local demand, low cost and the ease with which products can be moved through customs and excise.”

The report noted that there have been “very limited prosecutions of high-level dealers, brokers and transporters” who assist in the sale of illegal firearms.

It was reported that according to police estimates, there are 8,154 illegal firearms in Trinidad and that approximately 600 are seized each year. Between 2017 and 2021, 4,376 firearms were seized.

A few drug lords, including the late Nankissoon “Dole Chadee” Boodram, are believed to have been responsible for T&T’s drug trade in the 1980s and 1990s.

“There were reports at the time of high-level cooperation between drug traffickers and senior police officials.

“There have also been reports of possible involvement of Jamaican criminal gangs operating from T&T since the 1990s.”

The increased presence of Venezuelan gangs in Trinidad and Tobago, some of whom are reportedly smuggling weapons, has been a cause for concern.

The study, which focused on Venezuelan gangs, found that T&T has the highest concentration of Venezuelan migrants per person in the world. Since 2015, the number of Venezuelans admitted to T&T has surpassed 16,523 who are officially registered there.

“While research shows that migrants are no more likely to commit crimes than locals, the arrest of a high-level gang member in 2019 raised alarm bells.”

“Authorities arrested Darwin ‘El Culón’ García Gibori, the leader of the Evander gang, along with seven other Venezuelans and a Trinidadian fisherman, in Port (sic) Fortin, in southern Trinidad. The gang is involved in both extortion of boats carrying Venezuelan migrants and in transporting drugs and weapons.”

After pleading guilty to gun-related crimes, García Gibori was subsequently sentenced to five years in prison by a Point Fortin magistrate. The newspaper, citing police and immigration sources, alleged that Evander, the Deltano Liberation Front, had implanted members in T&T gangs.

“There are also concerns that some former gang members are providing services to various gangs, including Muslim in Port-of-Spain, but also to gangs in Port Fortin and Chaguanas.”

“Gangs can be involved in drugs and weapons, but also in prostitution.”

“Evidence is also emerging of tensions between local gangs and Venezuelan groups as Trinidadian middlemen who previously facilitated the drug and arms trade are sidelined.”

According to the research, there were 186 local gangs in T&T last year with 1,700 members, up from 211 gangs with 2,450 members in 2019. Most street gangs, including the Muslim and Rasta City (Seven) gangs, are associated with an umbrella group, a high-level gang that sets rules of conduct, both on the streets and in prison. Smaller gangs have been taking on larger groups in the East-West Corridor.

“A relatively small number of larger gangs are heavily involved in drug and arms trafficking and have also diversified into criminal activities such as human trafficking from Venezuela, contract killings (in TT and abroad, including neighbouring countries and as far away as Angola), kidnapping, extortion, illegal quarrying, ATM fraud and racketeering.”

According to the article, the rise of gang culture and the increase in violence were caused by “intergenerational impoverishment that creates social vulnerability.” According to the study, half of gang members are between the ages of 19 and 25, and the other half are older. Gang violence has increased as the age of gang members has decreased.

“It is common knowledge that government contracts fuel organised crime.

“Arrests and prosecutions of higher-ranking gang members are rare, while lower-ranking ones are often convicted.”

According to the study, the credibility and legitimacy of gang leaders should be increased by asking the police for help in identifying suspects.

Community resistance to cooperation is compounded by high levels of police corruption.

“Finally, the closed and close-knit nature of communities also affects the willingness of police to prosecute gangs, not least because gangsters know where the police and their families live.”

The report’s introduction spoke of “business elites” and “organizations” that linked drug trafficking between countries.

“While most gangs are parochial, a small number of transnational criminal organizations are key facilitators of the drug trade in the Caribbean.

“In general, such organizations facilitate the transshipment of narcotics and firearms throughout the Caribbean and are more likely to have links to criminal organizations in North America, South America and Western Europe.”

According to the research, there are a few wealthy businessmen in the Caribbean aid and human trafficking organizations.

“While criminally involved actors within these communities can be recognized as ‘open secrets’, publicly available information about these entities and their activities is also extremely limited.”