A major drug trafficking bust has led to the arrest of one man and the seizure of US$1 million of heroin and cocaine bound for the United States.
Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds yesterday expressed gratitude to the US Drug Enforcement Administration office at the US Embassy, who assisted the T&T Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU) in the operation.
Hinds said, “US DEA agents in Philadelphia and at the US Embassy started working on this case with us in 2020, culminating in this major arrest and extradition order. I am gratified that our excellent cooperation has led to this arrest. We count on our American partners in law enforcement to assist us in making Trinidad and Tobago safer for our communities.”
A statement issued by the US Embassy said the investigation culminated in the arrest of Shurlan Guppy on September 26. He has been charged with trafficking heroin and cocaine valued at US$1 million to the US.
He is charged in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania, and will be extradited to Pennsylvania to face charges.
During the early morning execution of the arrest warrant at Goodwood Park, Diego Martin, agents found a firearm and one kilogram of cocaine in the suspect’s residence, the statement said.
In the statement, US Ambassador Candace Bond said, “I am proud of the painstaking work the US Embassy’s DEA agents do every single day to help end drug trafficking and to strengthen citizen security for the people of Trinidad and Tobago.”