Chambers, cops advise small businesses: Don’t pay extortionists

President of the Tunapuna Police Station Community Council and director of the Greater Tunapuna Chamber of Industry & Commerce Neil Boodoosingh says small and micro businesses are most affected by extortion in the area, with more than 20 businesses targeted in the past year.

He made the comment as police on Thursday said three men were arrested for their role in an extortion racket.

North Central Division officers held the men on August 28, after weeks of investigations and surveillance

The three suspects – a 39-year-old of Santa Cruz, a 33-year-old of St Joseph and a 26- year-old of Valsayn – are believed to have extorted over $200,000 from more than a dozen people.

Police say the crimes spanned several months, and the men received multiple payments during that time.

They were held on suspicion of demanding money by menace, the term applied to extortion in TT law.

Speaking with Newsday hours after the police revealed the men’s arrest, Boodoosingh said extortion had been affecting business in the area for years.

“This has been going on for a while but it is only now highlighted because people are fed up.”

He said the majority of victims were small businesses, small and micro enterprises and even market vendors.

“The targets are the smaller businesses that cannot afford the extra security or extra surveillance system or the cash-in-transit facilities. It is usually more of the ‘mom and pop’ businesses.”

Boodoosingh said getting accurate data on extortion was difficult as people were often afraid to say they were threatened.

The business is a lucrative one for criminals and Boodoosingh said although his data was based on anecdotal information reaching him in his role on the police station community council, the number of businesses affected in the last year was significant, with extortion demands possibly earning criminals hundreds of thousands of dollars.

“Obviously, if a business paid this money, they wouldn’t come and tell us they paid. Nobody wants anybody to know that they have paid. But (the criminals) have made demands of as little as $200 per week and demands of as high as $150,000 in a lump sum.”

Boodoosingh said the perpetrators were usually members of a criminal gang.

“They all belong to gangs in some way or the other. They work in groups, they work in tandem and they have relationships amongst themselves.”

He said extortionists often used technology to make initial contact with their victims.

Boodoosingh said it allowed the mastermind behind the crime to keep some distance between themselves and their crimes, and it also made it harder to catch them.

“The actual guys that come out to collect and do all the runabout are just the miscreants, the minions. The masterminds stay hidden behind a phone trying to disseminate fear into people. So when you get a call, you don’t know who is on the other end, but that is not the person who might come to visit you.

“Sometimes the TTPS (TT Police Service) would set up a sting operation, and the person they hold don’t even know who it is. The person they arrested just got a job to go down there and collect a brown bag and drop it off in a particular area. They don’t even know who send them out. The crime is well organised and orchestrated.”

He said the effect on businesses in the area was visible, with one victim even shutting their business as a result and fleeing the country.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Operations Junior Benjamin said although he had no data immediately available to him, he believed extortion was on the rise.

“From a cursory view, I am seeing more this year than I did last year from where I stand. We recognise that people more and more are starting to complain and, therefore, the commissioner has instructed that we look into these things.”

Benjamin said the police had developed strategies to address the issue, including officers dedicated to investigating extortion.

“We have people specialised in this area to address those matters professionally and with a level of confidentiality and alacrity so we can deal with every situation on its own merit.

“It is something we recognise can be linked to gangs, but whether it is or not, we will look into it and address it from a policing perspective.”

Benjamin warned business owners about making any payment to extortionists.

“We ought not to open the floodgates.
"Get in contact with the police and sit down with our experienced officers and deal with this. We are taking a zero-tolerance approach, and once we are able to get the facts, we will work on this and find out who are the perpetrators and bring them to justice.
"Your best option is to contact the police and let us do our due diligence and bring these people to justice.”

Multiple business leaders on the East-West Corridor agreed with Benjamin, saying any business owner subjected to extortion should go straight to the police as soon as possible and avoid making any payments.

The Sangre Grande Chamber of Commerce said while it had not received any reports of extortion from members, it’s a case of “damned if you and damned if you don’t.”

A chamber executive told Newsday refusing to pay could result in loss of life or property, but added, “Once you pay, you open the gateway to the 'taxing' of the community. They will then take over the entire area.”

President Melanie Diaz said it was a tricky situation that could become very dangerous, but her personal opinion was that it was better to let the police handle the situation.

“I would advise them not to brush off (the extortionist) and become an immediate target, but make sure you tell the police as soon as possible.”

Head of the Arima Business Association Christopher Rampersad said any extortion negotiations without police intervention would only fuel the situation.

“Go directly to the TTPS and explain the situation. Any level of encouragement you give them by talking about it too much will not get you anywhere. That situation will never get better, it will only get worse.”

Boodoosingh suggested any business owner who was approached by anyone demanding money should go to the nearest police station, ask to speak to the most senior officer there, and explain the situation.

“Don’t walk in as though you just had an accident and you’re going to report that. No. As a citizen, you could walk in and ask for the most senior officer and express what has been happening to you.

“Because from the time you make that first payment, you have now taken out a mortgage with the criminal element, and you have to service that mortgage on a regular basis. If you don’t, it’s going to get worse, so don’t start it!”

Boodoosingh commended the police for their work in addressing the issue and said their approach had reaped some results.

“The police are using the cyber-crime department. They’re using sophisticated technology with phones, checking signals, and are privy to all sorts (of technology). They are really trying to get to the bottom of it and figure out where these threats are coming from.

“One of the businesses that was affected...the owners of the business had to flee the country. I am happy to say that they are returning and they will be reopening their business this weekend.”