Over $14 million worth of marijuana was seized and three men arrested after a fishing vessel was intercepted during an early morning exercise on Tuesday.
Police reports indicate that around 3.30 am on Tuesday ( June 6), a Customs and Excise vessel was on patrol in the Gulf of Paria, when the officers observed a fishing vessel with three men on board who were acting in a suspicious manner.
According to a media release from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS), the Customs officials intercepted the fishing vessel, detained the three men and the vessel was escorted to Hart’s Cut Bay, Chaguaramas, where it was docked.
Officers from the Special Investigations Unit (SIU), who subsequently arrived on the scene, then conducted an extensive search of the vessel. It is alleged that the officers found 295 packages containing marijuana.
Crime Scene Investigation (CSI) personnel from Western Division also visited the scene and photographed the illegal narcotics, which when weighed 158.54 kilograms with a street value of $14,251,542.
The three suspects, one Venezuelan and two men from Claxton Bay, were taken into police custody.
Enquiries are ongoing.
This is the second major drug find in the last three weeks.
On May 22, the T&T Police Service confirmed that it made what could be the largest on-land seizure of cocaine ever in this country three days prior.
The cocaine reportedly had a street value of $234,457,344.
The TTPS said it had conducted a successful joint exercise, where over 168 kilogrammes of cocaine was seized in the carpark of a hotel during a multi-agency intelligence-led operation in Chaguaramas.
The officers also seized one Glock semi-auto pistol fitted with an automatic selector, an extended magazine and 13 rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition.
Three men were held in connection with that incident but only one, Las Cuevas resident Keon Aberdeen, was charged.
