US$ could be from US Virgin Isles

Sources said the container moved from the US Virgin Island to Jamaica and then to other Caribbean countries before arriving in Trinidad last week. Sources also revealed that all the documents found in the container were false including names and addresses.

Intelligence information gathered also revealed that a container with a similar amount of money also arrived in the country last week but appeared to have been cleared and the monies are now in the hands of the certain persons.

Yesterday, Minister of national Security Edmund Dillon told Newsday he was awaiting a report on the matter but added that because the police was involved in the investigation he asked for a report.

He confirmed that the amount of monies found in the container was over $2 million and a couple hundred dollars and added that the Central Bank may be called in to assist in verifying the authenticity of the money. The Customs and Excise department fall under the Ministry of Finance and Newsday understands that the Minister of Finance will also be given reports on the status of the investigation.

In the interim the monies seized will be kept at the Port-of-Spain at the Customs and Excise in a vault pending the outcome of the investigation.

Sources revealed that while Customs and Excise and the Police Service were being highly criticised for not carrying out a ‘sting’ operation last Friday to catch the perpetrator in the act of attempting to clear the container, the officers who received the information about the suspicious monies inside the container were not informed what was inside the container but were told to search for something.

According to sources they were not told that there was money inside the two blue crocus bags concealed between plywood, but were instead told that if they searched that particular container they will find something interesting.

“This is a big amount of cash which nobody would want forfeited, and we are looking on to see what will happen next, because the persons who lost this money will not take this quietly,” a police source said. Last Friday at 3.30 pm, a party of Customs and Excise officers along with police went to the Port Lisas port where a freight container was identified. Officers searched the container which was found to contain a quantity of plywood, some bogus documents and they also found two blue crocus bags containing over US$2 million US.

The monies were placed in an armoured vehicle and taken to the Customs and Excise department in Port-of-Spain where officers spent hours counting it before placing the case in a vault. Police have now engaged Interpol to liaise with their colleagues in the US Virgin Islands and also the US Customs and Excise Department in the Virgin Islands to assist in this high profile probe.