2 HELD DELIVERING RANSOM DRUGS

FOUR kidnappers of a Mt Lambert hotel owner demanded their ransom in drugs and money.

Moments before leaving with deportee Earl Lewis, 48,  aka “Banga,” owner of Big Apple Hotel, Mt Lambert from his Mt Lambert apartment, his kidnappers ordered a relative to pay for his release in drugs and money, or he would die. Acting on information, at around 12.20 am yesterday members of the Inter-Agency (police/army combined) Task Force intercepted a car on the John John flyover, searched it and found 20 kg of marijuana, 2.9 kg of cocaine and a quantity of cash together worth $1.2 million. A 36-year-old Mt Lambert woman and a 36-year-old man of Kelly Village Caroni, Central Trinidad, were arrested. Police said the couple admitted that the drugs and cash were payment for the release of Lewis.

According to investigations by Newsday, “Banga” was at home together with his wife and son known as “Rasta” and grandchildren at around 8 pm on Thursday, when four men entered and pointed their guns at his son. “Rasta” ran off but not before being shot in the arm. The kidnappers then abducted “Banga” and made their demands. Shortly after the arrest  a battered and bruised Banga is alledged to have escaped from his abductors at a house in the Beetham Estate, Laventille. He was secured by residents of the area who took him to the police. After being carried to the hospital for treatment, a bruised but physically fit Lewis was assisting police in their investigations. The two persons charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana for trafficking are to appear before a Port-of-Spain magistrate on Monday. Constable Kishore of the IATF laid the charges.