4 held with 110 kilos of marijuana

FOUR men, described by police as “big players” in the local marijuana trade, were arrested by Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit (OCNU) officers who also seized 110 kilos of compressed marijuana in an early morning sting operation at the Caroni river yesterday.

The four men, aged 19, 32, 36 and 45, all from Bamboo Settlement, Valsayn, were scheduled to appear before a Chaguanas Magistrate yesterday afternoon to answer charges of possession of marijuana for trafficking. The exercise was coordinated by head of OCNU Snr Supt Kathleen Weekes, with field operations being marshalled by Insp Nanan. The sting came after police received a telephone tip-off. According to reports, at around 1.45 am, Insp Nanan and a team of officers in small, speedy boats, hid in the mangrove along the Blue River, on the Caroni Swamp, near the mouth of the Gulf of Paria. Assisting the OCNU officers in the operation were members of the TT Coast Guard who were led by Chief Coast Guard officer Sankar.

Half an hour later, they spotted a pirogue slowly making its way up the Blue river with four men in tow. The heavily armed OCNU officers intercepted, surrounded and boarded the suspects’ vessel. They seized 110 kilos of compressed marijuana found in crocus bags and one-kilo cellophane-wrapped packets. Police sources estimated the value of the marijuana to be TT$160,000. Police believe the suspects had just collected the marijuana from Venezuelan suppliers and were en route to sell the marijuana which in turn would be sold on the local market. OCNU sources said that the Caroni river from the mouth of the Gulf of Paria up to tributaries off the CR Highway in El Socorro, are popular drop off and collections points for illgal narcotics.