Cops make $500k cocaine busts, 3 charged

Three men who reside in Trinidad were expected to appear before the Scarborough Magistrates’ Court on Friday charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The charges were laid on June 9.

Jaden Thompson, 22, a fabricator who resides in Cunupia, Josiah Seepersadsingh, 18, a warehouse attendant from Valsayn and Nigerian Ugochukwu Ezenagu, 29, a warehouse attendant, who also resides in Valsayn, were charged with the offence. Thompson was also charged with an additional count of trafficking in cocaine arising out of another incident which occurred last month.

Police said that around 1.15 pm on June 7, officers of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Tobago were at the TTPost Scarborough branch carrying out routine checks on packages. Police said they searched two packages allegedly owned by a man containing a quantity of clothing, hair products and cosmetics. The officers searched the boxes in the man's presence and allegedly found six packages of cocaine concealed within the lining of the boxes. The cocaine weighed 547 grammes, with an estimated street value of $218,800. The man was arrested and taken to the Crown Point Police Station.

The officers continued inquiries and went to a carpark in Scarborough where two other men were arrested in connection with the investigation.

In a previous incident on May 12, a man went to TTPost, Wilson Road, Scarborough, where he allegedly posted a box containing a wedding dress along with other items to an address in Australia. On May 18, SIU officers went to a shipping company at El Socorro where they examined a box that was shipped from TTPost Scarborough and destined for Australia.

The officers allegedly found four packages of cocaine concealed within the lining of the cardboard box. Officers conducted inquiries and on June 9 charged Thompson with trafficking cocaine. In this incident, the cocaine seized weighed 778 grammes, with an estimated street value of $311,200.