THA employee arrested for trafficking after drugs and gun found

A 30-year-old employee of the Tobago House of Assembly's Chief Secretary's Office was arrested for trafficking on August 10 after police found a variety of illegal drugs, a firearm, ammunition and other questionable items in his possession.

A police release said officers were on patrol along Joefield Trace, Lambeau around 6.13 pm when they saw a heavily tinted Mitsubishi Lancer driving suspiciously. It said officers stopped the car, driven by the man from Lambeau Village, and found what it called "a troubling array of illegal items."

This included a Glock pistol, 15 rounds of nine-millimetre ammunition, 612 grammes of cannabis, 97 ecstasy pills TT$410, US$14, EC$100, two shortwave radios, a vacuum sealer, a ski mask, several transparent packets, a digital scale and 27 Digicel SIM cards.

Furthermore, it said the man did not have a driver's permit and was not the car's registered owner.

He was arrested on the spot.

The man, along with the car and the seized items, were taken to the Scarborough Police Station for further processing.

The police said the investigation is ongoing as authorities work to uncover the full extent of the trafficking operation and its connections.

The arrest came as law enforcement efforts have been ramped up on the island after it witnessed a historic 19 murders for the year to date.

Newsday was unable to reach Chief Secretary Farley Augustine for comment on the arrest.

On August 6, Augustine described the murders and crime on the island as "out of control," and called for radical efforts from authorities to address the scourge.

"Quite frankly, I am fed up with the meetings, I am fed up of how much we talk about this issue, and I think what is needed is a radical response. I know a radical response may end up with us getting complaints in some quarters, but we cannot treat lightly with what might be criminals of organised syndicates – these are more than just gangs, these are syndicates.”

On August 8, head of the police's Tobago Division ACP Collis Hazel said joint patrols with the Defence Force, introduced almost a month ago, will remain in place for the foreseeable future.

“This initiative that has been introduced in the Scarborough area is one in which you will see operating not only within Scarborough, but other districts throughout Tobago...With the resources that are available to us, we would ensure that such patrols continue.”

The island's latest murder came on August 5, when Victoria Guerra, also known as "Dolly Boss," was shot multiple times while liming at Lammy Road, Argyle. She later died at the Roxborough Hospital while being treated.

Days later, on August 8, Dr Iana Parisienne-James, 35, was shot in the shoulder outside Pablo’s Supermarket in Argyle while shielding her one-year-old daughter from the bullets. Media reports said she was later discharged and was at home recovering.