Cops destroy over $6.5m in ganja

On March 14 police from the Eastern Division Gang and Intelligence Unit (EDGIU) destroyed an estimated $6,597,170 worth of marijuana, including trees, cured marijuana, and seedlings.

In an anti-gang and narcotic eradication operation, police went to a campsite in a forested area at Upper Cunapo Road in Sangre Grande. They destroyed 500 fully-grown trees, an estimated 400 seedlings, and ten kilograms of cured marijuana. The officers also burnt the wooden camp.

A police statement on March 15 said the trees (local hydro) had a street value of $5,618,250, while the cured marijuana was estimated at $898,920. The seedlings were worth $80,000.

The report said between 2 and 6 pm on March 14, EDGIU officers as well as police from the Jungle Team of the Special Investigations Unit went about two miles into a forested area, where they found two greenhouses in a clearing. They also found a dry house outfitted with AC units and ultraviolet lights for drying cured marijuana and a kitchen with utensils. Investigations are ongoing.

The find was the latest in the division. Recently, Eastern Division police arrested and charged a 21-year-old man for having 36 packets of marijuana that weighed 24.8 kilograms. He was arrested after a chase in the Sangre Grande district.

Also, on February 13, EDGIU police charged two men for having $3,283,203 worth of marijuana. They arrested them at a campsite about 12 kilometers into the forest off Romain Trace, Guaico, in Tamana.

EDGIU and Multi-Operational Police Section officers found 1,024 full-grown marijuana trees and an estimated 1,000 seedlings. Police also found a Draco rifle fitted with a laser and seven rounds of 7.62 ammunition in that exercise.