$3.2m bail for 8 on vehicle theft charges

EIGHT men on multiple charges allegedly linked to a car-stealing ring in South Trinidad have been granted a little over $3.2 million in bail.

The eight, charged under the Larceny Act, appeared before San Fernando Master Delicia Bethelmy on January 15.

They face multiple charges jointly and on their own relating to the alleged theft of five vehicles and parts.

The eight were represented by attorneys Petronilla Basdeo, Vasheist Seepersad and Keron Ramkhalwhan.

Bail for the eight ranged from $375,000 to $500,000.

In a comprehensive investigation spanning multiple police divisions, the eight - Andel Solomon, Jaceon Castle, David Williams, Rondel Ramjattan, Zechariah Allah, Kevon Hamid, Narendra Balkisoon and Francisco Franco Fermin- were charged with the larceny of a white Kia K2700 valued at $164,930.39.

The vehicle reported stolen from a residence in Navet Village, Rio Claro, on January 4, was recovered the same day in the Princes Town Police District.

They are also facing charges linked to investigations into stolen vehicles and vehicle parts and the charge against them alleges they had in their possession a Hyundai H100, valued at $175,000, stolen from the Couva district in November 2024.

The owner of that vehicle had reported to police the theft along with cash from his business, a pellet gun and his wallet.

On January 4, officers from the Princes Town Police Station conducted surveillance at a property on Cedar Hill Estate Road. They observed a group of men dismantling parts from a white Kia K2700 parked behind the premises.

Officers identified a Kia K2700 as a vehicle reported stolen in the Rio Claro District and searches uncovered a white Hyundai H100 with false plates with its chassis number tampered with as well as various other vehicle parts.

Some of the men were also charged separately with larceny of three other similar-type vehicles and parts.

At the bail hearing, police prosecutor Wendell Gordon objected to bail citing SoE regulation 17 which prohibits the grant of bail for those charged with an offence. He also asked for strict reporting conditions for all if granted and cited statistics on vehicular theft. According to police data, there were 971 reports of larceny of motor vehicles in 2024.

In response to the prosecutor’s objections, Ramkhalwhan, Balkissoon’s attorney, pointed out none of the accused were charged under the SoE regulations so the bail provisions in section 17 did not apply.

He said the regulations did not prevent bail but created a new statutory test for a magistrate to deny bail if satisfied there was “reasonable apprehension that the person arrested is likely to engage in the commission of breaches of the peace and other offences.”

Basdeo argued there was no foundation for the objection to bail for her client as the prosecution failed to give evidence that he would fail to attend court or interfere with witnesses.

Police prosecutor Sgt Cortez also appeared for the State.

On January 5, ACP Wayne Mystar told the media of a “major breakthrough” in a car-stealing ring in Princes Town.

“We have been going after persons in terms of arrests linked to various criminal activities. We are seeing a major breakthrough in the car-stealing ring.