US praises TT in drug fight

The interception took place on February 16 in international waters north of Paramaribo, off the coast of Suriname and resulted in a find of 4.2 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of US$125 million ($837,000,000).

The ministry said this was one of largest drug busts in the Atlantic since 1999.

TT also has an extradition treaty with the US. The State Department said, “The past two years have seen a sustained utilisation of that extradition treaty.” In collaboration with its international partners, this country seized approximately 1.2 metric tonnes of marijuana and 292 kilograms of cocaine last year.

In 2015, 1.35 metric tonnes of marijuana and 249 kilograms of cocaine were seized in 2015. The State Department said drug treatment professionals assess that drug usage continues to increase among young people in TT. No charges of drug-related corruption have been filed against senior government officials last year.

The Police Complaints Authority recorded 352 complaints (including perverting the course of justice, fraud, corruption and extortion) last year. Media and anecdotal reports of drug-related corruption in the ranks of the Police Service, Defence Force, Customs and Excise Division and port employees are common.

The State Department also said Government is an active partner in the US Caribbean Basin Security Initiative’s programmes. Those programmes include preventing financial crimes and reducing the illicit trafficking of firearms.

Identifying the main challenges to combating the drug trade as “institutional challenges, “ the State Department said, “In order to deter traffickers, the Government of TT should implement reforms and programs to expedite prosecutions and persist with a more evidence-based criminal justice system to enable convictions.”