PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) says it has seized more than TT$29 million (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents) worth of high grade marijuana, after it had intercepted a fishing vessel from Venezuela during the early hours on Friday.

“This successful interception highlights the strength of the TTPS’s intelligence apparatus and the effectiveness of precision policing when supported by our regional and international partners. The illegal narcotics trade is a transnational threat that undermines security across the entire Caribbean, and no single man, nor island can combat it alone,” said Commissioner of Police, Allister Guevarro.

“This operation demonstrates the results we can achieve when agencies work together and share intelligence. We will continue to build on these relationships to protect our borders and dismantle criminal networks that are the nucleus of most of the serious violence and crime we face in our country. Together we will safeguard the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”

The TTPS said that the seizure was made in close collaboration with the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) and international partners.

It said that on Thursday, a specialised unit under the Ministry of Homeland Security, had received “credible intelligence, indicating that a large consignment of high-grade Colombian “Creepy” marijuana was being transported from Venezuela to Trinidad aboard a fishing vessel.

“When the information was corroborated by international counterparts, the specialised TTPS unit immediately coordinated with the TTCG, alerting them to the movement of the vessel,” said the TTPS.

It said that early Friday morning, the TTCG patrols intercepted a pirogue off the Point Fortin coastline and during the operation, the occupants of the vessel attempted to evade capture, throwing several large garbage bags overboard.

It said that three individuals escaped into the sea, while two people, a Trinidadian and a Latin American, remained on board and were detained.

“The officers seized nine crocus bags containing 268 brown-wrapped packets of cannabis from the sea around the vessel. The seized narcotics have an estimated combined weight of 268 kilograms and a street value of $29,412,196,” said the TTPS.

It said that both the detained suspects, along with the vessel and the exhibits, were conveyed to the Goard Guard bay and handed over to police officers for further enquiries. It said that the search continues for the three fugitives who remain at large.