[UPDATED] $m Manuel Congo site shut down – Illegal quarry boss nabbed

AN EARLY-MORNING raid by heavily armed police led to the shutting down of an elaborate million-dollar illegal quarrying operation in the cleared forests of Manuel Congo, Guanapo in east Trinidad on October 9.

Police said the raid was the end result of detailed investigations and surveillance over the course of the past 12 months.

It also led to the arrest of 19 people who were caught working at the plant. Among those detained on October 9 was the owner of the quarry, who police described as a "big boss" in the illegal quarrying industry, who had for over two decades, operated illegal quarries in several parts of the country, depriving the state of hundreds of millions of dollars worth in aggregate and also being a major polluter of several rivers and water courses clogged with run-off from these quarries.

The site was shut down by police in July, only for it to be quietly restarted before the October 9 raid put an end to its operations.

The raid which was led by the Multi-Agency Task Force (MATF), uncovered a fully functional, multi-million-dollar illegal quarry operation which oversaw the clearing away of acres of virgin forests, the mining of hills and rock formations, and the processing of the mined minerals into aggregate including red sand, sharp sand and gravel all of which was key components of construction.

So elaborate was the set-up that electronic, motorised conveyor belts, under steel and aluminium frames were visible where the processing of raw earth and rock was undertaken. A concrete, fully air-conditioned building in the middle of the plant, served as the base of administrative operations for the quarry.

Ironically, the illegal quarrying site was equipped with its own security outpost to counter thieves.

While the owner of the quarry was arrested elsewhere on October 9, police said, a director of operations and about 40 workers – including several Venezuelan nationals – were detained.

'ROBBING THE NATION'

Speaking on the location, hours after the raid, Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro who was flanked by Superintendent Leon Haynes and other senior officers, described activities at this quarry as one of the most "entrenched and environmentally devastating" illegal operations on state lands.

“This is essentially was robbing TT...you, me, our grandparents, our grandchildren and generations to come, of our patrimony,” said Guevarro, as he surveyed acres of cleared state lands. The plant has a fleet of heavy trucks, conveyor belts, steel rock-crushing equipment, processing equipment and other heavy machinery.

Police sources said the detained owner was the head of an illegal quarrying empire which denuded and eroded state land at sites in Matura and Manuel Congo. These plants generated millions of dollars annually as major hardware and private contractors purchased aggregate by the tonne.

Police said investigations into the detained illegal quarrying boss will also focus on a real estate portfolio funded by the earnings of these quarrying plants.

“They cut down the trees, sell them, then dig into the earth, sell the material, and keep going deeper,” Guevarro said, pointing to an area past a man-made lake created from the excavation. “On the other side of the pit, we’re talking about depths of up to 60 feet.”

The site included a wash plant and a gravel-sorting line, effectively operating like a registered quarry, but without any legal authority, Guevarro stressed.

According to investigators, gravel mined from the site was likely used in construction projects across the country.

“Some of our houses might have been built with material that was illegally mined. And that’s a national shame,” the top cop said.

Police said such operations are often linked to organised crime and gang activity, with profits funding weapons, influence, protection and possibly paid assassinations.

When Newsday visited the surrounding area, a growing residential community nestled between state forest and private lands, most residents declined to speak on the record. One man, requesting anonymity, said the quarry boss was well known locally.

“He’s like the mayor around here,” the man said.

A drive to the site showed a security booth and restricted access to the Trainline, a well-known path connecting to Cumuto Road, which had been blocked off by the operation’s private security.

FOLLOW THE MONEY

According to Supt Haynes, the raid followed over a year of surveillance and intelligence gathering.

“Before, we’d arrest the truck driver or excavator operator. That did nothing. Now we’re going after the directors, the ones profiting from the crime,” Haynes said. Another senior officer said that investigators would be following the money trail which leads to other enterprises including real estate.

The machinery and materials seized will now be subject to court proceedings. Officers from the Ministry of Energy are expected to assess the scale of the operation and calculate the estimated loss in state revenue. Police will remain on-site to safeguard the equipment, some of which requires specialised transport which the TTPS does not have.

Commenting on legal challenges, Guevarro acknowledged that prosecuting high-level illegal mining cases has historically been difficult, with well-funded operators often using legal manoeuvres to stall judicial proceedings.

“But just last year, Mr Haynes had a major win at the Privy Council,” said Guevarro.

“A man arrested for illegal processing took the case all the way to London, and we won! So now we have case law to support our prosecutions, and we plan to use it.”

Guevarro was referring to the Appeal Court's recent dismissal of a legal challenge filed by the Warner Group of Companies, owned by Allan Warner, a known associate of former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley.

That group sought to have police vacate its Wallerfield plant and return seized quarry equipment. Justices of Appeal Mark Mohammed and Peter Rajkumar upheld High Court judge Frank Seepersad’s earlier ruling, dismissing the injunction application.

ENVIRONMENTAL DEVASTATION

Beyond financial loss to the tune of hundreds of millions to the state, police officials underscored the devastating ecological impact of illegal mining.

“Before this became a quarry, here was pristine forest,” said Guevarro. “Wildlife roamed here. Trees stood tall. All of that was cut, sold or destroyed for profit. The land has been stripped; you can’t put it back once it’s gone.” He said police are working with land survey teams to determine boundaries between private and state land.

“We have the deed for the private section, but we need Land and Surveys to mark the boundaries. Either way, it’s illegal. If it’s state land, that’s illegal quarrying. If it’s private land, they’ve been mining without a permit under the Minerals Act. In both cases, it’s an offence.”

Guevarro said illegal operations are typically protected by armed lookouts, sometimes tied to criminal gangs.

“Once they spot police, they sound the alarm, and the workers scatter. This time, we were a step ahead. We’d been watching for months.”

One man is believed to have escaped during the raid by jumping into the 60-foot-deep water pit and swimming away.

“We still have officers in the bush,” Guevarro said. “This is ongoing.”

Asked whether state enforcement agencies, including the Environmental Management Authority (EMA) and Land Settlement Agency (LSA), have failed to adequately respond over the years, Guevarro issued a direct challenge.

“This is not Allister Guevarro’s or Natasha George’s money. This is the nation’s money. This is our patrimony,” he reiterated. “When roads are bad, when police stations can’t get vehicles, when schools can’t get basic things, it’s because these people are tiefing the resources and selling them. Everyone needs to get on board, including citizens.”

Haynes said the Manuel Congo investigation remains active, with particular focus on the financial networks behind the operation.

“Millions of dollars per month are being made from this,” he said. “And that money is not going back into the economy: it’s going into people’s pockets and often, into criminal hands.”

With public concern growing over the environmental damage and gang links, police are calling for national support in rooting out what they described as one of the country’s most dangerous and costly criminal enterprises.

“We’re not just dealing with an environmental crime. This is organised theft of the country’s resources,” said Guevarro. “We can’t allow that to continue. We won't allow that to continue. Not on our watch.”

Editor's Note: This is an update to an earlier story which can be read here.