Don’t pay extortionists – Trinidad Tribune

News

Buyers and sellers at the Tunapuna Market in June 2021. – File photo

Neil Boodoosingh, chairman of the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council and director of the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry & Commerce, says small and micro businesses are the hardest hit by extortion in the area, with more than 20 businesses targeted last year.

He made the statement after police reported on Thursday that three men had been arrested for their role in an extortion case.

Officers from the North Central Division arrested the men on August 28 after weeks of investigation and surveillance

The three suspects – a 39-year-old from Santa Cruz, a 33-year-old from St Joseph and a 26-year-old from Valsayn – are alleged to have extorted more than $200,000 from more than a dozen people.

According to police, the crimes lasted several months and the men received multiple payments during that period.

The men were being held on suspicion of demanding money by threats, the term used in TT law for extortion.

Boodoosingh, speaking to Newsday hours after police announced the arrest of the men, said extortion has been a threat to the trade in the area for years.

“This has been going on for a while, but it is only now being brought to attention because people are fed up with it.”

According to him, most of the victims were small businesses, micro-enterprises and even market traders.

“The targets are the smaller businesses that can’t afford the extra security or the extra surveillance system or the cash transport facilities. They tend to be more of the mom and pop businesses.”

Boodoosingh said it is difficult to collect accurate data on extortion because people are often afraid to say they are being threatened.

The trade is lucrative for criminals. Boodoosingh said that while his data was based on anecdotal information he received in his role on the police department’s neighbourhood council, the number of businesses hit in the past year was significant. The extortion demands can net criminals hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“If a company were to pay this money, they wouldn’t come forward and say they paid. Nobody wants anybody to know they paid. But (the criminals) have made demands as low as $200 a week and demands as high as $150,000 in one go.”

Boodoosingh said the perpetrators were usually members of a criminal gang.

“They all belong to gangs in one way or another. They work in groups, they work together, and they have relationships with each other.”

He said extortionists often use technology to initially make contact with their victims.

Boodoosingh said it allowed the perpetrators of the crime to distance themselves from their actions, and also made it harder to catch them.

“The real guys who come to gather and do all the fuss are just the criminals, the henchmen. The masterminds stay hidden behind a phone and try to spread fear in people. So when you get a phone call, you don’t know who’s on the other end, but that’s not the person who might come to visit you.

“Sometimes the TTPS (TT Police Service) would set up an undercover operation, and the person they arrested didn’t even know who it was. The person they arrested was just given an order to go there and pick up a brown bag and drop it off at a certain area. They didn’t even know who sent them. The crime is well organized and orchestrated.”

According to him, the consequences for businesses in the region were clearly visible: one victim even closed his business and fled the country.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations Junior Benjamin said that while he did not have direct data, he believed extortion was on the rise.

“From a cursory glance, I see more this year than last year, from my point of view. We recognise that people are starting to complain more and more and that is why the Commissioner has instructed us to look into these matters.”

Benjamin said police had developed strategies to address the problem, including officers specifically dedicated to investigating extortion.

“We have people who are specialized in this area, who can handle these matters professionally and with a certain degree of confidentiality and speed, so that we can treat each situation on its own merits.

“We recognise it is something that could be linked to gangs, but whether that is the case or not, we will look at it and address it from a policing perspective.”

Benjamin warned business owners against making payments to extortionists.

“We don’t want to open the floodgates. Contact the police and sit down with our experienced officers and deal with this. We have a zero tolerance policy and once we have the facts, we will work on them and find out who the perpetrators are and bring them to justice. Your best option is to contact the police and let us do our due diligence and bring these people to justice.”

See also

Several business leaders in the East-West corridor agreed with Benjamin, saying that any business owner who is a victim of extortion should go to the police as soon as possible and not make any payments.

The Sangre Grande Chamber of Commerce said that while no reports of extortion have been received from members, this is a case of “damned if you do and damned if you don’t.”

A chamber official told Newsday that refusing to pay could result in loss of life or property, but added: “Once you pay, you open the gate to the collection of taxes by the community. They will then take over the whole area.”

President Melanie Diaz said it was a difficult situation that could become very dangerous, but said she personally believed it was better to let the police handle the situation.

“I would advise them not to brush (the blackmailer) off and become a target themselves, but make sure you tell the police as soon as possible.”

According to Christopher Rampersad, chairman of the Arima Business Association, extortion negotiations without police intervention would only worsen the situation.

“Go straight to the TTPS and explain the situation. Any encouragement you give them by talking about it too much will get you nowhere. That situation will never get better, it will only get worse.”

Boodoosingh suggested that any business owner who was approached by someone demanding money should go to the nearest police station, ask to speak to the highest police officer and explain the situation.

“Don’t walk in like you’ve just had an accident and you’re going to report it. No. As a civilian, you can walk in and ask for the most senior officer and tell them what happened to you.

“Because from the moment you make that first payment, you have taken out a mortgage with the criminal element, and you have to pay that mortgage off regularly. If you don’t, it gets worse, so don’t start it!”

Boodoosingh praised the police for their work in tackling the problem and said their approach had yielded some results.

“The police are using the cybercrime unit. They are using advanced technology with phones, monitoring signals, and they have access to all kinds of (technology). They are really trying to get to the heart of the matter and where these threats are coming from.”

“One of the businesses that was affected and the owners of the business had to flee the country. I am happy to say that they are returning and they will be opening their business again this weekend.”