Dear Reader...
A Nigerian national and two others have been detained for narcotics trafficking in Trinidad & Tobago.
After being charged with different drug-related offenses on Thursday, the trio appeared in Tobago Magistrates' Court on Friday, June 10, 2022.
Ugochukwu Ezenagu, Jaden Thompson, and Josiah Seepersadsingh were apprehended in connection with the seizure of more than $500K in cocaine.
According to a statement released by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service's Corporate Communications Unit, the arrests highlight the TTPS's unwavering efforts to dismantle transnational organized crime networks involved in the trafficking of cocaine to North America, Europe, and other parts of the world.
"Jaden Thompson, 22, a fabricator from Cunupia, Josiah Seepersadsingh, 18, a warehouse attendant from Valsayn, and Ugochukwu Ezenagu, 29, a warehouse attendant from Valsayn and a Nigerian national, were charged with possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking," according to the statement.
Thompson was also charged with a second count of cocaine trafficking stemming from an event that occurred in May 2022.
"Around 1:15 pm on the 7th June, officers of the Special Investigations Unit (SIU) Tobago were at the TTPOST Scarborough branch carrying out standard checks on shipments," according to the statement. Officers met a man who allegedly produced two cardboard boxes containing a large quantity of apparel, hair products, and cosmetics while they were there.
"The officers then searched both boxes in his presence, and upon further examination, they allegedly discovered six parcels each containing quantities of cocaine concealed within the lining of the said boxes." The individual was transported to the Crown Point Police Station and arrested. The officers continued their investigation and then went to a Scarborough carpark, where they arrested two more males in connection with the probe.
"The cocaine confiscated in this event measured 547 grams and had a market value of $218,800.
"On the 12th of May 2022, a guy went to TTPOST, Wilson Road, Scarborough, Tobago, and reportedly posted a box containing a bridal gown and other belongings to an address in Australia."
"Officers from the SIU went to a shipping firm in El Socorro on May 18, 2022, to investigate a box that had been shipped from TTPOST Scarborough and was bound for Australia. The officers allegedly discovered four packages of cocaine hidden beneath the cardboard box's interior.
"Officers conducted investigations, interviewed various people, gathered material, and traveled to Tobago on June 9th, 2022, when Thompson was formally charged with cocaine trafficking.
"The cocaine recovered in this event weighed 778 grams and had a market value of $311,200. The investigation is still ongoing."