PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad (CMC) – The United States Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago on Friday said two Trinidadians have been arrested on charges of conspiracy to import cocaine into the North American country.

It said that Daveanan Deonarine and Michael Samsondar were arrested on provisional arrest warrants on December 10 after they were both charged in the Eastern District of Louisiana for conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States stemming from a 2023 Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) investigation that yielded a seizure of 168 kilograms of cocaine in Trinidad.

“By volume of the narcotics, the May 18, 2023 operation was the largest seizure of drugs during an on-land operation in Trinbagonian history. The drugs are valued at over TT$234 million (One TT dollar=US$0.16 cents),” the US Embassy said, adding that the suspects are in custody pending extradition proceedings to the United States.

The arrests were carried out by personnel from the DEA Vetted Unit, supported by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Special Investigative Unit (SIU).

“The US Embassy’s DEA personnel and TOCU have been working side by side for over two decades. The close working relationship they have fostered, the mutual trust, and their excellent law enforcement work show results in these arrests,” saïd Chargé d’Affaires Dr Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz.

“Together the United States and Trinidad and Tobago are making the region safer and more secure for all of our citizens. I am proud of the work we do with our Trinbagonian counterparts day in and day out,” she added.