Kidnapping becoming a growing global business

Studies by major insurance and security firms around the world point to a dramatic increase in the kidnapping and ransom of individuals for profit in the past decade.

While the preferred target is wealthy businessmen, ordinary people are also being grabbed by kidnappers in search of monetary and material gain.

In recent decades, the major goal of kidnappers has shifted from advancing extreme political causes, to a form of "fundraising." According to local crime and security experts, this is the aim of kidnappers in TT, who make million-dollar ransom demands but often settle for significantly less and release their victims relatively unharmed.

Police sources say local kidnappings are being carried out by organised gangs who are able to access sensitive information on the bank accounts of their intended victims. While businessmen are a major target, some cases of abductions have been linked to the illicit drug trade.

The upsurge of kidnappings in TT became a major source of concern in 2002 when kidnappers were able to take prominent members of wealthy business families hostage. Among them was Anthony Sabga III, whose family operates the Ansa McAl conglomerate.

Sabga was kidnapped in L’anse Mitan, Carenage, as he was returning home from a Chaguaramas night club. He was released unharmed a few days later. His kidnappers demanded $5 million for his release but it is not known if any money was paid. Another high profile victim was gas station owner Kenneth Medford, who was kidnapped along the Churchill Roosevelt Highway. He was released unharmed after a $300,000 ransom was paid.

In response to this new crime trend, the authorities promised improved training and resources for officers of the Anti-Kidnapping Squad (AKS). In recent years, AKS officers have been exposed to intensive training provided by the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) in the United States and private security experts from the US and the United Kingdom.

This training covered various aspects of dealing with kidnappings, including sophisticated investigative techniques, dealing with sensitive information, use of state-of-the-art monitoring devices, surveillance and plea bargaining with kidnappers.

In addition, sums of money were allocated to update equipment and mobility for the squad and manpower was substantially increased.

However, insiders say the AKS is still hampered by insufficient resources — a situation which reportedly prompted the recent resignation of head of the squad, Assistant Superintendent Adam Joseph. In spite of these challenges, the AKS has had its fair share of successes over the years, including the rescue of several kidnap victims.

While the global rate for solving kidnap cases is just over two percent, the local success rate has been put at an impressive 52 percent by Government officials.

Internationally, the kidnapping business has become one of the fastest-growing industries worldwide, according to Rachel Briggs in an article published in the Guild of Security Controllers Newsletter. She reports that kidnappers globally take home approximately $500 million each year in ransom payments, making a hostage "a commodity with a price on his head."

According to Briggs, Latin America has become "an important hub for kidnapping" with Colombia, Mexico, Brazil and Venezuela, occupying four of the top positions in a global ranking of international hot spots.

"However, it would be wrong to see the crime as a uniquely Latin American problem. Over the past decade or so, kidnapping has risen in parts of Africa, most notably Nigeria and South Africa. This can largely be traced to the expansion of multi-national companies into these countries following the rich natural resources they offer.

"Similarly, companies moved into parts of the Former Soviet Union following the collapse of communism at the start of the last decade, and the kidnapping rate has grown there too."

According to a paper posted on the Internet entitled "International kidnapping as a business," kidnappers are becoming more organised and are demanding more money for the safe return of hostages because "it has become an extremely profitable form of business transaction."

The paper states: "Kidnapping for ransom has quickly become a worldwide epidemic as it has become a relatively easy way for kidnappers to make substantial amounts of money with rather little effort and time.

"Since kidnapping has become so profitable due to payouts by family members or insurance policies, one can surmise that kidnappings for profit will continue to increase throughout the world and continue to grow as a ‘business.’" (See Page 9)