Trinidadian Police Officers Held On Suspicion Of Trafficking In Minors

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, February 21, 2020 (CMC) – The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) said, today, three police officers and a civilian had been “arrested, early this morning, on suspicion of being gang members, as well as trafficking in persons”.

In a statement, the TTPS said that the homes and the lockers of the three policemen were searched, and among the items seized, were cell phones.

“During the exercise, one of the police officers complained of chest pains and was taken to hospital for treatment. The arrest of the four suspects, followed a similar exercise on the 10th February, 2020, where one policeman and a Venezuelan national were arrested and later charged with various offences,” the police statement added.

It said that the three police officers and the civilian are being questioned about the trafficking of persons, mainly minors, from Venezuela.

Their arrest followed an exercise, carried out by the Counter-Trafficking Unit, with the support of the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF) and the Special Operations Response Team (SORT).

Police said they had also shot and killed a Venezuelan national in a shootout, during the early hours of Friday, after he had, allegedly, used a gun to hold up a motorist and take his vehicle.

Meanwhile, the police said three men will re-appear in a magistrate’s court in east Trinidad, on March 19, after they were charged with possession of a firearm, possession of ammunition, possession of a firearm to endanger life and possession of ammunition to endanger life.

The men – Kyle Barke, 22; Michael Mc Clean, 36; and 22-year-old Miguel Wallen were not called upon to plead, and were remanded into custody. They were held, yesterday, following a police-involved shooting incident in the Arima district, east of here.

During the incident, a fourth suspect was fatally wounded by officers. He was later identified as Akiel Kalon Hypolite.

Police said they had recovered two firearms and a quantity of ammunition.