T&T COP to drug runners: When US armada calls, good luck...

CoP to drug runners: When US armada comes calling, I wish you luck

Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro has thanked the United States military for carrying out a strike on a vessel in the southern Caribbean suspected of transporting narcotics. He said he does not pity the 11 people who died on the vessel or anyone running afoul of the law.Tuesday’s attack was described by the US as a “kinetic strike” carried out in international waters against a vessel allegedly operated by the Venezuelan gang Tren de Aragua.US President Donald Trump claimed that 11 people he described as “narco-terrorists” were killed. However, apart from showing a military video of the precision attack to journalists during a briefing in Washington on Tuesday, he gave no other evidence to support the claim the vessel was loaded with drugs

In a WhatsApp message to Guardian Media yesterday, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar again backed the US strike, saying she and “most of the country” welcomed the success of the naval mission. She added that the United States had pledged to target drug cartels and was now delivering on that commitment, noting that illicit drugs and arms had brought “death and destruction” to Trinidad and Tobago for the past 25 years.

Guevarro followed suit yesterday in a voice note sent via Whats App, “I am grateful for the decisive US intervention. The resources deployed will undoubtedly place a significant dent in narcotics trafficking across the Southern Caribbean. Let this serve as a clear warning to our fishers of fortune who board their pirogues chasing perilous tides of profit.”He warned that the “waters have changed” and advised people heading out to sea to do so to catch fish to feed the nation, not as “drug smugglers masquerading as fishermen.”He said when the US armada comes calling, “I wish you luck in treating with what will not be a happy ending.”

Guevarro said he has “absolutely no pity” for anyone caught by the US engaging illegal acts.

Kamla: My duty is to protect law-abiding citizens

In an immediate response to the criticism yesterday, Persad-Bissessar defended her stance on the escalating tensions between the US and Venezuela, insisting that while Caricom states are free to voice their own positions, she will continue to prioritise T&Ts fight against drug cartels.

In response to questions from Guardian Media on the criticism of her stance, Persad-Bissessar doubled down on her position, framing the issue as one of national security and protection of citizens.“I have made it clear before that all countries in Caricom can speak for themselves on this issue. For more than 25 years, narco-traffickers have unleashed hell upon Trinidad and Tobago, fuelling our murder rate, flooding our streets with guns and drugs, and brutalising our people through torture, intimidation, extortion, kidnapping and violence. These cartels prey on our youth, destroy families, and profit from misery,” the Prime Minister said.She argued that the threat posed by organised crime networks, such as Venezuelan cartels, demands decisive action and cooperation with allies, even when such moves spark debate.

“My duty is to protect the law-abiding citizens of Trinidad and Tobago, not the criminals and cartels who prey upon them. Everyone else may choose their side; I have already chosen mine. I stand with law-abiding citizens. And I stand with those who are willing to fight against these criminal cartels to help us have a safer country,” she declared.The Prime Minister’s remarks signal her Government’s firm commitment to aligning with international partners on anti-narcotics operations, despite warnings from opposition voices and international relations experts that her endorsement of US military tactics could undermine the region’s tradition of neutrality.

While Caricom has not yet issued a unified statement on the latest US-Venezuela flare-up, Persad-Bissessar emphasised that each member state retains the right to shape its own response.

T&T Guardian

In reply to sgtdjones

Your fren Broken Balls will be delighted

Watch your words, Kamla!
* PM condemned for strong support of fatal US naval strike off , but sticks to her guns


Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is facing mounting criticism at home and abroad, after her strong endorsement of Tuesday’s US military strike on an alleged Venezuelan drug vessel that killed 11 members of the Tren de Aragua cartel. And she is now being urged to watch her tone on the ongoing US action in the Caribbean.However, Persad-Bissessar is doubling down on her call to the US to “kill them all violently, saying she has T&T citizens at heart in the matter.After US President Donald Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed the strike on Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar said she had no sympathy for drug traffickers, noting ‘the slaughter of our people is fuelled by evil cartel traffickers.”

Yesterday, however, Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles condemned the Prime Minister’s statement and urged her to retract it immediately.“Her (Persad-Bissessar’s) latest WhatsApp missive, in which she declared that the United States of America should “kill them all violently,” is reckless, disgraceful, and inconsistent with the oath she has taken to uphold the Constitution and the law. It is completely unbecoming of our head of government, who is expected to be more prudent in her language,” Beckles said.She noted that the Prime Minister’s social media output “draws our country into unnecessary conflict over which we have little to no control and can put our legitimate fisherfolks, offshore workers, and other workers in the maritime space at increased risk.”

According to the United States Coast Guard’s rules of engagement, the approach to drug cartels, human smugglers, and interdiction at sea requires strict procedures.
Key principles of the Department of Homeland Security’s use-of-force policy also include: Valuing and preserving human life, de-escalation, proportionality, deadly force as a last resort and accountability. According to the Department of Homeland Security, the shoot first and ask questions later does not align with the Coast Guard’s use of force policy.

Comment: Typical Gutless PNM opposition...over 5,000 died under your tenure, morons.

Cedros fishermen, residents fear fallout after US airstrike off Venezuela

Standing under the warm weather yesterday, the Venezuelan shoreline could be seen clearly with the naked eye from Icacos Bay. Even as the waves crashed rhythmically as fishermen returned with their catch, beneath the calm was a growing unease.It came after the United States military killed 11 alleged drug traffickers in a precision airstrike off the Venezuela coast on Tuesday. The US military launched a strike in international waters, destroying a pirogue allegedly operated by members of the Tren de Aragua cartel and killing the suspected traffickers.Washington framed the action as a counter-narcotics mission against transnational threats. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar quickly voiced support, calling for violent action against traffickers.But for residents of Cedros and Icacos, the strike raised urgent concerns about the safety of fisherfolk working close to Venezuelan waters.

He explained that while the Coast Guard usually checks documents and warns fishermen about unsafe waters, the Americans acted with deadly force. He said this was similar to Venezuela’s Guardia Nacional, whose patrol boats they call “greyhounds”.“Sometimes, when we are working right here and you see a boat coming from the main side, you have to come out of the area. You cannot really stay in the area; you have to move out,” John said, adding that he and his crew will return to sea today but must be careful about how far they go.For Icacos resident Margaret Ishmael, the proximity of her home to Venezuela, just half an hour across the sea, is now unsettling.

Despite Persad-Bissessar’s endorsement of the US strike, residents are calling on Government to increase Coast Guard patrols. They say Venezuelan boats often chase fishermen dangerously close to shore, sometimes opening fire.“That is wrong. That is not nice,” Ishmael said.In Bonasse Village, Venezuelan-born fisherman Jesús Díaz said he was not worried about being caught in US-led operations, since he does not venture beyond the Gulf of Paria.“I am not worried because I do not see any US ships around here. We usually go near shore, so we do not think we are in danger. Maybe they can come closer, but we cannot see them because they are so far away. If you go to the next side from Guiria, it is more the Caribbean Sea where you might see the big ship,” Díaz said.Another fisherman recalled that the Guardia Nacional once advised locals to carry their passports at sea and warned them not to cross the border. While some obey to avoid encounters with Venezuelan or US forces, others still take the risk, he said

In reply to googley

BeatDballs is very quiet these days.
He may get a recall to the military by Trump.

CMC news

In reply to sgtdjones


He and his ilk are idiots
And his supporters
He didn’t see any evidence
The ‘suspected’ boat is now a poster child for all confirmed illegal activity

Trinidad politicians dotish, that a given, but this is a new low

In reply to Halliwell

Can you explain the billion-dollar cocaine bust on Mono Island, the seized boat, et al.....no charges were laid on Mr. Big.

Charges were laid on individuals caught on that boat, fishermen.

If one is pursuing a powerboat on international waters, even in a helicopter. They throw the boat contents overboard that sink rapidly.

Such has been tried in Canadian waters. What evidence exists when contents are all dumped in the Atlantic Ocean?

At what depth is such evidence found?

In Moruga, T&T, such packages have been washed up on shore, suggesting a boat sank in the Atlantic.

The end results were not pretty; murders ensued by gangs that terrorized certain citizens

The courts convict when bodies are never found....

But okkkkkkkk, you want evidence.

In reply to sgtdjones

You’re right

We don’t need evidence because we fed up

Let’s just bomb indiscriminately, operate illegally in international waters, and label the dead men ‘terrorists’, in other ways continue being dotish

Find it interesting when people celebrate law-breaking as a means to stop law-breaking. But, more interestingly is how quickly and unquestionly the gullible accept every word of the administration that lied about how Kilmar Abrego was deported, how he couldn't be returned, how once forced to return him, trumped up charges against him. Then once presented with the chance to prosecute him tried instead to ferret him to Uganda.

...........In reply to Halliwell



The American government is doing the above.... As a Brit, get your government to arrest them?

Your Rowley Government Coast Guard , shot a Venezuelan child on a boat in T&T waters .
Rowley supported the Coast Guard. I didn't hear any complaint from you?

In reply to sgtdjones with a plate with 9 screws below the left knee?! No sah

In reply to sgtdjones

When that child was shot by our Coast Guard I recall how nothing was done or said by Rowley and his co-horts,Beckles have plenty voice now.For over 20 years Trinis have been murdering each other and they are certainly drug related, there's no doubt the starting point is Venez,weapons,people trafficking and drugs.
Tell the Opposition you don't need to read a rule book before you stop Drug Cartels from breathing fresh air.

In reply to granite

This is what 10 years of Rowley has produced...drug-related murders as he leaves with a million-dollar pension.

Giving contracts to gang bosses (CEPEC), which are cancelled to be revised, opposition in an uproar.

The COPs are doing a great job; take them out.

In reply to sgtdjones

In reply to sgtdjones

Make them read and understand what they were doing for 10 years or not doing .

In reply to granite

Beckles, CoP clash over US airstrike on Venezuela vessel

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles has raised concerns over comments by Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro supporting a US operation in the Southern Caribbean that targeted a Venezuelan vessel.The strike, which the White House said was carrying drugs, resulted in the deaths of 11 alleged members of the Tren de Aragua gang.On Wednesday, Guevarro praised the operation, saying, “I am grateful for the decisive US intervention. The resources deployed will undoubtedly place a significant dent in narcotics trafficking across the Southern Caribbean. Let this serve as a clear warning to our fishers of fortune who board their pirogues chasing perilous tides of profit.”

He added that the “waters have changed,” advising those at sea to focus on catching fish to feed the nation rather than acting as “drug smugglers masquerading as fishermen.” Guevarro also warned that when the US intervenes, those involved in illegal activities should expect “what will not be a happy ending,” adding he has “absolutely no pity” for offenders.In an immediate response, Guevarro rejected claims that the US strike constituted an extrajudicial killing.He insisted that neither he nor the T&T Police Service (TTPS) endorses extrajudicial action, calling such suggestions “false and dangerous.” He stressed that support for international operations stems from the need to combat transnational criminal networks—but “must never come at the expense of legality.”

“Look before you leap and stop making uninformed statements without knowing the entire facts. Let your debate be grounded in facts and not inflammatory mischaracterisations.“When you speak without the full story, you are not informing, you are performing. And the stage you have chosen to perform on is built on speculation and not substance,” he said in direct response to Beckles.“Any suggestion that I or the TTPS endorse extrajudicial action is not only false, but it is dangerous. It undermines the very legal framework that protects our citizens and holds us accountable.”

San Fernando fishing society: Fishermen have nothing to fear after US strike on Venezuelan drug boat


Lochan said members of this group are in a a WhatsApp chat and were in communication with each other about the strike. He repeated than none of them, including local fishermen, are concerned the strike will affect them."That happened to nobody in Trinidad. That doesn't concern us. Everybody in Trinidad safe for now."Lochan said there is no reason for local fishermen to alter their activities, including where they fish, because of the strike.'That is for the people who like to venture out further than they should be venturing out."

He said local fishermen will continue to fish in local waters and have no business operating across the maritime border in Venezuelan waters."At the end of the day, what are you doing in Venezuelan waters?"Lochan said all bonafide local fishermen will be operating in TT waters and know the areas where they can operate legally in.

He added there may be people who claim to be fishermen but are doing other activities."They have the ones who are doing their stupidness and saying they are fishermen."Lochan said if these people venture into Venezuelan waters, they will have to deal with the consequences.He repeated this is not a problem for members of the society."We don't venture further than a certain place."