Drug bust in Tobago

Lieutenant Manswell told Newsday that 14 packets of cocaine weighing 13 kilos and 11 packets of marijuana weighing 16 kilos were seized by Coast Guard officials in the fishing pirogue to Tobago from Toco.

He said that the men, who are from Trinidad were brought to the Coastguard base at the Scarborough Port and subsequently handed over to officers of the Tobago- branch of the Police Service’s Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Interdiction Bureau. The street value of the cocaine is said to be $5.2 million while the marijuana is set at $280,000.

The men were expected to be charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and will appear in the Scarborough Magistrates Court.

Investigations are continuing.

MEN SHOT In other crime news, two men are now nursing gunshot wounds after being shot in separate incidents yesterday afternoon. In the first incident, a businessman was shot during a robbery along Boundary Road, San Juan. According to police, Vishado Joseph was conducting business at an establishment off Boundary Road, when he was approached by a gunman who announced a hold-up. Joseph attempted to defend himself and a scuffle ensued.

During the fracas, the bandit shot Joseph in the abdomen. The shot man, police said, fell to the ground and pretended to be dead.

The bandit grabbed a quantity of items from the store and ran off.

Joseph later contacted the police and he was taken to Hospital where he remains warded in stable condition.

The bullet entered his stomach and exited through the back. In the second incident, officers of Central Division responded to a report of a person being shot at about 2.30 pm in Longdenville. The man, Newsday understands, is an employee of the Longdenville Health Centre.

Police officers came across men fitting the description of the attackers near a roti shop. Police approached the men and were met with gunfire.

The officers returned fire and the gunmen attempted to flee in a vehicle.

Police officers gave chase and the suspects’ car crashed and they alighted from the vehicle and escaped in nearby bushes. In the car, police recovered a Mac-11 sub-machine gun and a pistol modified to accommodate a cylindrical ammunition magazine. A manhunt was underway yesterday for the suspects.