Spy agency eyes V’zuelan gangs

VENEZUELAN and Colombian criminals in TT are on the radar of the Strategic Services Agency (SSA), the spy agency said in its Annual Report 2017.

The report, last updated on September 4, 2018, was recently laid in Parliament.

“The policies of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela resulted in tens of thousands of migrants moving through Trinidad and Tobago, some settling illegally, impacting the social and health services and criminal activity.

“Those using Trinidad and Tobago as a point of departure to their international destinations, placed additional strain on the financial system and accessibility of foreign exchange.”

The SSA said the peace accord between the Colombian Government and the FARC rebel group had created a vacuum, which criminal gangs fought each other to fill, with action by Colombia's security forces driving them to relocate to the Colombian/Venezuelan border.

“As the situation in Venezuela continues to deteriorate, the potential for the expansion of these organisations and the development of mega-gangs is extremely high.”

While these groups are primarily drug trafficking groups, they have access to large caches of firearms, which may easily find their way to the Caricom nations of Suriname, Guyana and Trinidad and Tobago, the SSA warned.

“In 2017, the presence of Colombian and Venezuelan nationals engaged in criminal activities within TT was noted, as was an increase in the availability of illegal firearms. The SSA focused attention on stunting the growth of criminal networks and reducing firearm related violence." This was done by data collection and analysis which was shared with the TT Police Service, TT Defence Force and Transnational Organised Crime Unit.