Criminologist: PM may have been misled about US strike

CRIMINOLOGIST Darius Figuera says Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar may have been misled by the US government, prompting her 'kill all traffickers' comments. He now warns the nation to prepare for a rougher road ahead.

“If you’ve bought in, lock, stock, and barrel, to a strike that doesn’t even validate the official word of the Trump administration, then you’ve bought into a con. The ride will get rougher before it gets any smoother. The road ahead will be bumpy,” Figuera said in a phone interview on September 3.

Persad-Bissessar, responding to a September 2 US strike that allegedly killed 11 people aboard a vessel claimed to be linked to the Venezuela-based transnational criminal organisation Tren de Aragua (TDA), said: “The US military should kill them all violently.”

She expressed no sympathy for the alleged TDA members, adding, “The slaughter of TT’s people is fuelled by evil cartel traffickers.” Describing the strike as a success, she called for stricter controls on the flow of illegal guns, drugs, and human trafficking.

On X (formerly Twitter), US president Donald Trump said he authorised the “kinetic strike” against what he called “positively identified” TDA narco-terrorists in the US Southern Command’s area of responsibility.

But Figuera insisted Persad-Bissessar’s statement was based on misleading information and amounted to an endorsement of extra-judicial killing.

He warned supporting such actions risked entangling the country in dangerous US-China geopolitical tensions. Figuera believed the PM’s stance lacked strategic foresight and could have serious consequences for national security.

“We must be mindful: there’s a grave discrepancy between how the strike has been described by the Trump administration and what is actually shown in the video released by Southern Command.”

He noted if the boat was allegedly carrying illicit drugs, “nobody uses a go-fast boat like that to cross the Caribbean Sea to the US mainland.”

He pointed to the small plastic fuel tanks on board, saying the vessel could not have made it even as far as Puerto Rico.

“The only US territory these boats attempt to reach is Puerto Rico. But boats outfitted like that, like the one in the video, don’t make that kind of run.”

Beyond the questions raised by the video, Figuera said Persad-Bissessar’s apparent endorsement of the strike sent a dangerous message.

“The cargo wasn’t even full. That boat was clearly making a run to the Eastern Caribbean: it could not have been carrying anything but some packages of marijuana.

“When you call for the extermination of people in international waters who are supposedly traffickers, and the evidence doesn’t hold up, then you’re just repeating propaganda,” Figuera said.

He stressed the Persad-Bissessar’s position had inserted TT into a geopolitical situation that “does not bode well” for the nation, also describing her September 2 statement as rushed.

“It had nothing to do with drug trafficking. It was connected to events happening in China over the past week.”

On September 3, China unveiled new weapons during a Victory Day military parade commemorating the 80th anniversary of Japan’s surrender in World War II. The event was attended by Russian President Vladimir Putin and North Korea’s Kim Jong Un.

The celebrations featured the debut of China’s YJ-15 hypersonic anti-ship missile and the AJX002 unmanned underwater drone.

China also showcased three new nuclear-capable intercontinental ballistic missiles: the Dong Feng-61, Dong Feng-31BJ, and Dong Feng-5C.

State media reported the DF-5C has a range exceeding 20,000 km and can carry up to 12 warheads.

President Xi Jinping told the crowd, “Humanity today must choose between peace and war, and between dialogue and confrontation.”

Months earlier, on May 12, China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi met with Venezuelan counterpart Yván Gil and described the countries as “good friends with mutual trust.” He also referenced a meeting between Xi and Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro in Moscow, which aimed to deepen bilateral co-operation.

China pledged to support Latin American visibility on the world stage and expressed opposition to "hegemonic behaviour," further strengthening the China-CELAC Forum.

On May 5, 2025, Russia and Venezuela signed a strategic partnership agreement broadcast on Russian state television. According to Interfax and Reuters, the deal includes co-operation through OPEC+, the Gas Exporting Countries Forum, and other energy organisations.

Figuera said the geopolitical implications were grave: “China has embraced both Cuba and Venezuela. China has armed Venezuela. It has drawn a line in the sand.”

He reiterated that by aligning with the US on the issue, the Prime Minister had “dragged TT into a geopolitical stand-off, where Venezuela was being used as a pawn in the broader US-China conflict.”

“And Trinidad and Tobago? We’ve been pulled into that vortex, with no real resources to extricate ourselves.”