440kg cocaine worth TT$204m seized off Trinidad, four men arrested
A pirogue carrying over 440kg of cocaine was intercepted near Huevos Island off Trinidad's north-west coast. Three Trinidadians and one Venezuelan were arrested.
Coast Guard intercepts pirogue with 440kg of cocaine near Huevos Island
A cocaine haul valued at an estimated TT$204.5 million has been seized off Trinidad's north-western coast after the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) stopped a pirogue carrying more than 440 kilogrammes of the drug, newsroom.gy reports.
The interception took place at approximately 5:56 a.m. near Umbrella Rock, Huevos Island, when officers stopped a vessel named "FISH POT BOYS" approximately 600 feet north-east of the landmark. The boat featured a white hull, grey gunwale and grey interior, and was powered by three Yamaha 200-horsepower two-stroke outboard engines.
Four men were aboard the vessel at the time — three Trinidadians and one Venezuelan. All four were arrested.
Officers recovered a total of 394 sealed packages weighing 440.20 kilogrammes in total. The packages contained a white, powder-like substance that was subsequently confirmed as cocaine by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service's Special Investigations Unit (SIU).
The TTCG escorted the vessel to its headquarters at Staubles Bay, Chaguaramas, where further searches were carried out. The four men, the packages and the vessel were then handed over to the relevant law enforcement authorities for further processing.
Based on law enforcement figures, the estimated retail street price of cocaine in Trinidad and Tobago stands at approximately TT$464,640 per kilogramme — placing the total estimated retail value of the 440.20-kilogramme seizure at roughly TT$204,534,528.
Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge praised the operation and declared that authorities were making headway against drug traffickers. "Drug trafficking is lucrative for the cartels so they will continue to try to find ways to evade law enforcement. It is our job to be one step ahead of the cartels and to anticipate them. We are winning at this point and we will continue to do everything in our power to keep on top of our game," Sturge told the Trinidad and Tobago Express.
Sturge acknowledged that traffickers would persist in attempting to move narcotics into the country given the profits involved, but said law enforcement would continue to intercept shipments and stay ahead of criminal organisations. He added that continued attempts were "par for the course" and that operations would not let up.
In its official statement, the TTCG confirmed that the pirogue was intercepted in the northern region of the Gulf of Paria. "Four men were on board the vessel, along with a quantity of packages individually wrapped in plastic," the Coast Guard stated. The service reaffirmed its commitment to protecting Trinidad and Tobago's maritime domain, citing its motto of "Service Before Self."
The bust follows a warning issued on Sunday by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who said her Government would pursue gangs operating out of Westmoorings, St Clair and Federation Park that she accused of flooding the country with illegal drugs and guns. Persad-Bissessar also cautioned that the end of the state of emergency on September 17 would not signal an end to the Government's crime offensive.
She said her administration was cooperating with foreign law enforcement agencies to target the local drug trade and those who believe their wealth shields them from prosecution.
The latest seizure is part of a broader pattern of major narcotics interceptions recorded since the Persad-Bissessar administration took office in May 2025, with hundreds of millions of dollars in cocaine and marijuana seized on land and at sea during that period.
Source: Google News GY — Crime