Police can’t say if V’zuelan gang members in TT

Stuart Young
Stuart Young

NATIONAL Security Minister Stuart Young says the police are unable to ascertain how many members of the Venezuelan Evander gang, if any, are within this country’s borders.

He reported, however, that there are currently five Venezuelan males who are in police custody and are suspected of being members of gangs.

“And it is my intention to deport them.” He was responding to a question in the House on Friday on reports that the gang had infiltrated TT’s borders.

Young replied ministry intelligence officials have reported that the leader of the gang was killed along with several other gang members on March 29, 2019 in El Caiman, Tucupita, Venezuela.

On measures to address the problem of Venezuelan gang members infiltrating this country’s borders various ministry intelligence units continue to conduct intelligence operations that assist patrols engaged in border management. He added local Interpol is working closely with Interpol in Caracas to identify members of the notorious Evander gang or others. He said the police is working along with the intelligence agency to gather information on gangs to disrupt their activities and arresting and charging those engaged in criminal activity.

Young said the data gathered during the registration exercise is analysed with assistance from Interpol and other intelligence agencies as part of a due diligence and verification exercise.

Recently Evander gang leader Darwin Garcia Gibori, nicknamed “El Culón,” who was held in Trinidad with guns and ammunition, was jailed for five years by a Point Fortin magistrate. On completing his prison term, he will be deported.

Young was also asked to respond to a video reportedly of an inmate at the Immigration Detention Centre complaining about a delay in receiving medical treatment. He replied there were numerous videos on social media posted every single day and in the absence of specificity is is not possible to ascertain which video was being referred to.

Oropouche West MP Vidia Gayadeen-Gopeesingh said it was a video of a man whose hand was broken and was complaining that he was still being forced to do masonry. Young replied that a lot of videos on social media are not even from this country and he did not know what she was referring to.

“No such report came to me. And I get reports all the time from the prison system.”

He added the basic human rights of inmates at the various state institutions such as prisons and hospitals are not intentionally infringed upon.

“At such institutions where medical services are required to be provided to inmates, these services are generally provided in a timely manner, subject to prevailing circumstances.”

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