EVEN as officers of the Eastern Division were trying to determine who the large consignment of cocaine was intended for in this country, another body surfaced on the Manzanilla/Mayaro beach, bringing to two the number of bodies to surface in the area in as many days.
The latest body, that of a male and said to be in an advanced state of decomposition, was spotted after 5 pm yesterday near Cacandoo Trace, leading to the Manzanilla/Mayaro beach, police sources told Newsday. It is in close proximity to where the first body was found. Late yesterday, also, senior officers of the Organised Crime and Narcotic Unit (OCNU) said they received information that there were more bodies in the area. As a result of the latest body find, OCNU sources said they are now convinced that something went terribly wrong in the seas, and are of the firm view that it is drug-related. They said it’s a vicious circle and that once the game is not played right, “one is certain to get lick-up.”
The large consignment of cocaine which is said to be worth millions of dollars washed ashore between Sunday morning and Monday evening in crocus bags along the Manzanilla/Mayaro beach. There were also packets of the illicit drugs that surfaced from what is believed to be broken crocus bags. Yesterday, 32 empty packets were found on the Mayaro beach. There were no local addresses on the bags, but police sources told Newsday that some of the packets themselves had Spanish markings on them, indicating that it came from a South American country. The mystery deepened for Eastern Division police when on Monday morning a body was seen floating in the Ortoire/Mayaro River by three fishermen. Because of the man’s pigmentation, police initially believed he was either a Venezuelan or a Colombian. However, after further checks were done yesterday at the Forensic Science Centre, it was discovered that the man is of African descent. Police said the salt water had apparently changed his pigmentation to that “of a white man.”
The body remained unidentified up to late yesterday. But police said he is 177 centimetres tall, is between 45-50 years and weighs 45.5 kilogrammes. The red underwear he wore was a ‘Diesel’ brand, while the grey jersey was made by ‘Sergio.’ Both brand names are said to be locally made. He has a tatoo on the right bicep, and only the fourth finger on his right hand is intact, the others having been eaten away by fishes. Police also said the front centre tooth in his upper jaw is false, and that there is a drawing of something resembling Jesus on one of his pendants. Sgt Rampersad of the Mayaro Police Station is continuing investigations. In another cocaine seizure, officers of the Northern Divisional Task Force were up to late evening trying to trace a quantity of cocaine that was seized in the Wallerfield, Arima, area, early yesterday. The cocaine weighed over four kilogrammes, and is believed to be a chunk of the cocaine consignment seized in the Manzanilla/Mayaro beach. It was discovered around 1 am yesterday when officers including Cpls Jagdeo and Peters, and PC Petty were on patrol. Police said the officers observed a man carrying a crocus bag on his shoulder. Up until late last night Toco Police officers were at Balandra bay after receiving reports that several barrels were washed ashore. It was not known what the barrels contained.
UNKNOWN to dozens of shoppers, armed bandits carried out a daring daylight robbery of a San Fernando jewelry store and made off with over $30,000 in jewelry yesterday.
Up to late yesterday, Johnny Ramoutar, owner of Ramoutar’s Jewelry Store on High Street, was still calculating his losses. The heist took place around 11 am at the store which is located within the arcade building on Penitence Street, off High Street. At the time, four employees were on duty when two armed, masked men stormed into the store and announced a hold up. Pointing their guns at the employees, the bandits ordered them to gather several pieces of jewelry from two showcases and put them into a bag. A female cashier was also robbed of an undisclosed sum of money. During the robbery, the gunmen ripped the cord from the telephone. The bandits then ran out of the store, onto the busy High Street and escaped. Visiting the scene was a party of officers from the San Fernando CID, coordinated by Snr Supt Desmond Lambert and Supt Dyo Mohammed, headed by Insp Brereton and including Cpl Anthony Charles and PC Burke. Investigations are continuing.
A FORMER prisoner was stabbed to death in Valencia early yesterday morning, in what relatives and police believe was a long-standing dispute following the burning of the victim’s clothes in a house he once shared with the suspect and a female companion.
The suspect, a 27-year-old man who is also an ex-prisoner, later surrendered to officers of the Valencia Criminal Investigations Department (CID). Senior police officers said they are treating the killing of Michael Lambert, 31, as homicide in the first instance, but were also looking at a self defence angle in the killing of the former mason. Police said the suspect reported that around 5.30 am Lambert, of Seow Avenue, off Mora Avenue, Valencia, and another man came to his one room wooden home situated at Runtuna Extension, San Pablo Road, also in Valencia. The suspect and the other man were reportedly armed with cutlasses and police sources said an altercation took place inside the suspect’s home, which is surrounded by sorrel and pine trees.
Police said there was evidence to suggest that a struggle took place inside the humble green-painted house since one of the suspect’s windows broke off and fell on the outside. During the struggle, Lambert was stabbed once on the right side of his neck. Lambert is reported to have stumbled out of the house, where he collapsed and died about 30 feet away, his white long sleeve white jersey soaked in blood. Both his jersey and black and gold track pants were worn on the reverse. His white sneakers were neatly laced, however. After the incident, police said the suspect first spoke to a neighbour then gave himself up to officers of the Valencia Station. Lambert’s sidekick reportedly fled the scene and had not been held up to late evening.
A party of officers from the Eastern Division headed by Sr Supt Randolph Protain, and including Insps Thomas and Andrews, Cpls Deosaran, Maloney and Mark and WPC Bernard visited the scene and conducted investigations. A piece of cutlass was seized but the death weapon, believed to be a knife, was not found up to late evening. District Medical Officer (DMO) Dr Roxanne Tantoco also viewed Lambert’s body and ordered it removed to the Forensic Science Centre. At the scene yesterday, Lambert’s elder sister, Phylis Forbes said her brother and the suspect were friends and that a woman burned down his house with his clothes. “All he (Lambert) wanted was compensation for his clothes,” Forbes, in tears, said. She said her brother came out of jail last year after serving time for robbery. After his release, Forbes said, Lambert went to Tobago, where he lived with his sister. She said he was doing masonry work and later left the island. “He was a real cool fella,” Forbes said. Cpl Mark of the Valencia CID is continuing investigations.
THE HOME of a Laventille man was shot at, while a Santa Cruz man was shot in separate incidents on Monday night, police sources told Newsday. Motives for both shootings were unknown up to late evening.
In the Laventille incident, police said Rupert Ferguson was at his Upper St Barb’s Road, home around 7.15 pm when he heard something like stones falling on his rooftop. Afterwards, police said, Ferguson heard two gunshots and on checking saw a bullet hole on one of his wooden windows. No one was injured and officers of the Besson Street Criminal Investigations Department (CID) are continuing enquiries.
In the other shooting incident, police said around 8.15 pm, Akeem Grant, 19, of Sam Boucaud, Upper Santa Cruz, was in his living room looking at television. Police said Grant told them he heard a noise in his kitchen, and on checking, saw a man dressed in black, and wearing a bandana to hide his identity. The intruder, according to police, had entered through an open window on the northern side of Grant’s home. The assailant then pointed a firearm at Grant, who held on to the weapon. A struggle ensued and police said two loud explosions rang out. When the smoke cleared, Grant had received a bullet wound to his left hand. The intruder then fled the scene through an open door. Neighbours rushed Grant to the Port-of-Spain General Hospital (PoSGH), where he is reported to be in stable condition. PC Sylvan of the Santa Cruz CID is continuing investigations.
SOUTHERN Division police swooped down yesterday on the sleepy fishing village of Grand Chemin, Moruga, following reports that a large quantity of cocaine, strongly believed to have originated from mainland Venezuela, washed ashore on the Moruga coastline on Monday afternoon.
However, the police search yesterday, which included raids on several houses, a search of the sea, searches in fishing stalls and a general search of the beachfront, turned up no cocaine. Police sources told Newsday they received reliable information that a large waterproof bale, containing cellophane-wrapped one-kilo packets of cocaine washed ashore at Grand Chemin beach around 3 pm on Monday. However, none of the highly priced illegal narcotic was recovered by the police since it is believed that unknown persons got to the drugs first and divided it up amongst themselves. “After speaking to several villagers, we received information that minutes after the packet of cocaine washed ashore, a group of men tore open the waterproof exterior and divided the packets amongst themselves,” stated a senior officer. The officer added that he believed the cocaine, which washed ashore in Moruga on Monday, formed part of the same consignment of illegal drugs, packets of which also floated to shore in Manzanilla and Mayaro on the weekend.
Police have estimated the local street value of the drugs seized over the weekend to be over $10 million. In the wake of these drugs being washed ashore, the decomposing body of a man was found floating in the Ortoire river on Monday. Police believe this man was linked to the drugs. Leading the party of officers to Moruga yesterday was Head of Southern Division Snr Supt Desmond Lambert, who was accompanied by Supt (Crime) in charge of Southern Division, Supt Dyo Mohammed. Also involved in the search yesterday were members of the Southern Division Crime and Suppression Unit. Snr Supt Lambert told Newsday that police yesterday used a boat to search the seas off Grand Chemin for more packets of cocaine. The officers also searched coves and caves in and around the shoreline, but without success.
AN autopsy yesterday on the partially decomposed body of school teacher Aleem Jaffarali concluded that he died of a massive heart attack. Jaffarali’s corpse was found at the back of his house on Monday.
Jaffarali’s body was discovered by neighbours who were alerted by his relatives who had tried on several occasions to contact him via telephone after he failed to show up for a fishing trip. The school teacher lived alone at his Katwaroo Trace, Penal home. Jaffarali, 49, who worked at the Rock Road Presbyterian School, had complained earlier this month to relatives about sharp chest pains. But he did not seek medical attention although advised to do so. The last time relatives spoke to Jaffarali was on Friday. The autopsy was carried out by Dr Hughvon des Vignes at the Forensic Sciences Centre, Federation Park, St James. Sgt Mohammed is continuing investigations.
ATTORNEY GENERAL Glenda Morean-Phillip disclosed yesterday that legislation to enact the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) into the laws of Trinidad and Tobago will be laid in Parliament on September 5.
Morean-Phillip is hopeful that Government will get the support of the Opposition UNC to pass the legislation which will require a special majority if this court is to replace the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council. Government needs a simple majority to pass legislation to allow the CCJ to function in its original jurisdiction. A special majority is needed for TT to subscribe to the CCJ in its appellate jurisdiction. The Attorney General spoke to reporters following another round of consultation on the CCJ which was held at the Crowne Plaza Ballroom yesterday. The guest speaker was Mia Mottley, Attorney General and Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados. When asked how she intends to whip up Opposition support for the legislation, Morean-Phillip said she was hopeful that there will be consensus at the end of the day. She said Members of Parliament were invited to the consultation, but only Independent Senators turned up. “I am hoping there will be some consultation between the Government and the Opposition. There is always room for compromise. The Opposition wants certain constitutional reforms if they are to agree to support this Bill. It may be quite possible for us to arrive at some medium position,” she added.
Morean-Phillip said the UNC has asked Government for its plans for constitutional reform. “They wanted to know how we are going to engage this process. We have done that to some extent. It is only with dialogue we will know how far we can go.” The AG said the CCJ Bill is one of several pieces of legislation which will be going to Parliament next week with some urgency. She also revealed that the Firearms Bill and the Terrorism Bill need to be passed urgently if Government is to tackle the crime problem. Mia Mottley, the Barbados AG, is the chairperson of the CCJ Preparatory Committee. She revealed that the committee will be meeting with the UNC in an attempt to convince the Opposition party to support the legislation for the CCJ. Mottley said this will be important especially as it was UNC political leader Basdeo Panday, who as Prime Minister, signed the agreement on February 14, 2001, for the establishment of the court. She said the committee will be embarking on a strong public education programme from September. Mottley said when the decision was taken in 1988 in Antigua to establish the CCJ, the current crop of leaders were not in power. She said neither Panday nor Patrick Manning was the leader in Trinidad and Tobago — it was ANR Robinson.
ST JOSEPH MP Gerald Yetming believes the United National Congress (UNC) should adopt a strategy of conditional support for special majority legislation, starting with the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ) legislation, when Parliament resumes next month.
Yetming told Newsday yesterday that such a strategy may serve the Opposition better than its current strategy of total non-cooperation with the Government on such legislation, and he intends to raise this issue when the UNC’s parliamentary caucus meets prior to next month’s resumption of Parliament.
Yetming reiterated that the UNC “ought to re-visit its position of arbitrary, non-support until there is constitutional reform” because that strategy was clearly not achieving the desired results. The Opposition MP said he still does not have “a clear picture” about whether or not he will support legislation to establish the CCJ as the country’s final appellate court because he has yet to obtain the facts. Asked if continued UNC opposition to the CCJ would work to the party’s benefit when the legislation is laid in Parliament, Yetming replied: “Maybe they (UNC) are better informed about the legislation than I am.”
Yetming said the one thing he was clear about was his non-support for a system where politicians influence appointments to the court. However, the St Joseph MP said given the various “schools of thought” on that issue, it was difficult to say whether there was any substance to allegations of politics being involved in last Thursday’s appointment of members of the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission (RJLSC). Chief Justice of Barbados, Sir David Simmons, rejected those allegations and Attorney General Glenda Morean-Phillip declared that critics of the CCJ were ignorant and misinformed.
MIA MOTTLEY, the Attorney General of Barbados, said yesterday that very few people in the Caribbean have access to the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in London.
Mottley said that in 1998, the Privy Council heard 65 cases from 20 Commonwealth countries. Forty-six of these cases, according to the Barbados AG, came from the Caribbean. She revealed that thousands of cases were dealt with in the Caribbean, yet just a small portion reached England. “Access remains outside the legitimate reach of many people. People simply cannot afford to go there despite them feeling they have a strong legitimate case. I don’t think any Government can allow this to continue.” Mottley was the main speaker at a consultation at the Crowne Plaza Ballroom to update the public on the proposed Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ).
Mottley, who is also Deputy Prime Minister of Barbados, said the CCJ will give access to a court which is based in Trinidad with power to go to each country in the region. This, she added, will bring justice to the doorstep of many litigants. Mottley assured the public that the CCJ will be independent. She pointed out that the nine judges of the court will be appointed by the Regional Judicial and Legal Service Commission. The President of the court will be appointed by the Commission — an appointment which must get the approval of 75 percent of the Heads of Government. Mottley said judges could be selected from among the 54 Commonwealth countries. At least three of the judges must have a track record in international law. The Barbados AG said there were very competent jurists in the Caribbean to sit on the CCJ. She said the region was rich in talent, singling out Karl Hudson-Phillips QC on his appointment to the International Criminal Court (ICC) and Justice Telesford Georges. “I want to know where this fear of the quality of our people is coming from?” she asked.
FORMER President Arthur NR Robinson was yesterday discharged from the Southern Medical Clinic where he was warded over the weekend for bleeding along the urinary tract.
Robinson left the nursing home around 2 pm — after undergoing a minor surgical procedure on Sunday night to stop the bleeding. The former President fell ill in Tobago on Sunday while attending a function in his honour staged by Trans-Global Communi-cations. He was flown by helicopter to San Fernando where Dr Lal Sawh attended to him at the clinic around midnight. Yesterday, Dr Sawh gave the former president the all clear to return to his Ellerslie Park home. Robinson, who throughout his stay at the clinic was guarded by two Special Branch police officers, was visited by his daughter Margaret yesterday. She later accompanied him to his home. Dr Sawh said that Robinson’s intermittent bleeding was the result of radiation treatment, and that Robinson is likely to experience bleeding along the urinary tract from time to time.
