Police wait on help for Drug Sou-Sou probe

SENIOR police officers appointed to investigate what appears to be a complex money-laundering scheme involving police, soldiers, politicians and criminal gangs have only scratched the surface in their probe and are anxious for the expertise of foreign investigators.

Acting CoP Mc Donald Jacob has taken a leading role, with head of the Professional Standards Bureau acting ACP Ramnarine Samaroo and head of the Court and Process Branch Snr Supt Nazrudeen Pragg, to monitor a group of police officers who have close links with the operators of Drug Sou-Sou.

So far, four officers have been suspended and 11 others transferred, arising out of the seizure of $22 million in cash from the operators of DSS on September 22, at La Horquetta. The money was returned without the knowledge of the Commissioner of Police.

But even in the face of the public comments of the CoP, the Prime Minister, the Minister of National Security, the Central Bank and Security and Exchange Commission about possible criminal links to the scheme and risks associated with it, scores of people up to Saturday turned up in Tobago to collect $23,000 on their investments of $3,500.

Opposition senator Wade Mark made reference to a Newsday article during his contribution to the budget in the Senate on Friday, incorrectly stating that the story stated that three PNM politicians were involved in the scheme.

The article did not identify which political party the politicians were aligned with,but said police had unearthed intelligence which identified three politicians linked to the scheme.

Mark said while the PNM had not denied the contents of the article, he questioned whether the sou-sou was a slush fund to pay potential voters in the August 10 general election to vote for the PNM.

On October 15, the Prime Minister who chairs the National Security Council, announced at a PNM meeting that the DSS was not a sou-sou and described it as "a cancer which left unchecked can eat the soul of the nation."

At that meeting, he also announced that he had taken the lead to request the expert services of two police officers from Barbados and others from the United Kingdom.

Rowley said he was troubled by the role of police and soldiers involved in the scheme, which also involved criminal gangs, and was a matter of national security for the entire country.

CoP Gary Griffith has said the scope of the investigations has identified a cartel in the police and defence force which was working with criminal gangs to launder money gained from illegal acts. Griffith, who is on vacation in Ireland, has vowed to get rid of the rogue elements in the police service and welcomed the help of foreign investigators.

The two members of the Barbados Royal Force arrived in TT last week and have been sworn in as Special Reserve police officers. They will join the local team after their mandatory 14 days in quarantine, one of the measures in place for covid19 pandemic.

Discussions are still ongoing with the National Security Agency in the UK for personnel to join the investigative team. The Police Complaints Authority is also carrying out a separate investigation.