Guns and ammo bust at airport may lead to an end to ‘Gangland truce’ in T&T says Criminologist Darius Figuera

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Guns and ammo bust at airport may lead to an end to ‘Gangland truce’ in T&T says Criminologist Darius Figuera

Trinidad and Tobago has seen a decline in gang activity partly due to the work of the TTPS and partly due to a truce between many gang figures and a new model of gang operations in Trinidad and Tobago. Criminologist Darius Figuera speaking to Power 102 news and Izzso media said that one can only infer based on the huge guns and ammunition bust last week at a bond at the Piarco International airport that someone was trying to arm a small militia. Figuera said that persons do not go through the trouble of trying to import that level of weaponry into the country without specific intentions . He said it speaks to the possibility of a turf war brewing between major gang players in the country.

 

He believes that one of the intentions was to create an arms race with a view to destabilise the existing order and end the truce. He said that transnational operatives are clearly present with a new model focused on revenue as opposed to gang war and murders. He said the recent headless corpse discovered in St James may be related to the guns bust which someone has to pay the price for because it costs millions of dollars in losses to those who were expecting to be outfitted with this level of weaponry.

Figuera also said the authorities have not paid enough attention to the dual transportation system between Trinidad and Tobago and Venezuela which has existed for a long time. He said while authorities focus primarily on the migration of impoverished Venezuelans looking for a better life , there also exists the movement of criminal elements , cash , drugs between Trinidad and Venezuela.

Figuera also said there is a change in the supply side of the marijuana trade in the region with the eruption of La Soufriere in St Vincent and the Grenadines which is a significant supplier of ganja products in the region. Most of the Marijuana fields in St Vincent have been destroyed by the ash fall from the volcano in the past few weeks.

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