Young: Kidnapping for drugs

MANY recent cases of kidnapping were largely related to the illegal drug-trade, said Minister of National Security Stuart Young, excluding that of mother of three Natalie Pollonais. He otherwise warned citizens to exercise care this festive season, speaking at Thursday’s post-Cabinet news briefing at the Diplomatic Centre, St Ann’s.

“Data-driven and statistically I’m not sure there has been an uptick in kidnapping.

“Our intelligence services and our police service have been working on a number of things. There’s a lot more of an intelligence-web covering, so you pick up.

“Some of those instances what you are seeing are drug-related. A lot of the instances quite frankly are drug-related with these recent kidnappings."

He said the efforts of law enforcement to take arms and ammunition and drugs off the street have exposed the economics behind drug deals.

“So even when the police come in and we seize significant quanta of drugs, somebody still has to pay the supplier for those drugs. Maybe some of what you are seeing is connected to that type of behaviour. We are concerned but a lot of the intelligence-driven operations are bearing fruits.” Young said drugs are a serious scourge in TT. On the decriminalisation of cannabis, he advised reporters to ask Attorney General Faris Al-Rawi.

Asked about a “one shot, one kill” remark by Police Commissioner Gary Griffith, Young said in a real-life gunfight with so many bullets flying around, it is not feasible to seek to wound an attacker in his foot to disable him. The police had the right to defend themselves within the law if under attack.

Asked about reports of Russian and Iranian military activities off the Venezuela coast, he said TT does not interfere with its neighbour’s sovereign space.