TWO men have been charged for possession of marijuana after being arrested during a multi-million dollar drug bust in Charlieville.
The men – Selwyn Mathews, 56, of Chin Chin Road, Cunupia, and Odane Anderson, 37, of Vistabella, San Fernando – were charged on by Cpl Stevenson, of the Northern Division’s Gang Investigations Unit. They were arrested on August 12.
They appeared before a Chaguanas Magistrate on Thursday and were remanded into custody with the matter adjourning to Friday.
Police reported that around 10.30 am on August 12, officers of the Central Intelligence Bureau, the Northern Division Gang Unit, the Inter-Agency Task Force (IATF), with support from officers of the Customs and Excise Department and Port Security, intercepted a container at Kolahal Road, Charlieville, Chaguanas.
The container reportedly left the Port-of-Port of Spain on the same day. On searching the container, officers found 958 boxes containing a compressed plant-like material resembling marijuana, which weighed 947.64 kilogrammes, with a street value of $94,764,000.
Eight persons were arrested and the sum of $60,000 was also seized. Some of those arrested were subsequently released.
In a separate incident, police also reported that on Wednesday that a prison officer was arrested for possession of prohibited items including 400 cigarettes. He was arrested by officers of the Arouca Criminal Investigations Department after they responded to a report from the Maximum Security Prison (MSP).
The officer reported for duty at MSP but stopped at the scanner room because it was observed that his stomach and chest were bulging.
Police reported that in an attempt to conduct an additional physical search, the officer ran out of the scanner room and into the lobby where an alarm was raised and the gates were closed.
The officer then ran into the sentry office and threw four packages over a wall while an attempt was made to stop the suspected officer. The suspected officer reportedly kicked his colleague in his chest. Other prison officers rendered assistance and the suspected officer was detained.
A search was conducted and four clear plastic packages containing cigarettes were retrieved.
When the packages were checked in front of the suspected officer, it amounted to 400 cigarettes.
Additional search was conducted on the officer’s vehicle, where six packs of cigarettes, three wrapped parcels containing 30 cigarettes each, two Samsung cellular phones, two scales, and an assortment of chargers and headsets were recovered.
The suspected officer was arrested and taken to the Arouca Police Station.
The exercise was spearheaded by Ag, Cpl Forde, assisted by members of the Prison Intelligence Unit and the K-9 Unit.
Three men were also arrested on Wednesday for possession of marijuana, two of which were expected to appear in the Princes Town Magistrates’ Court on Thursday.
Police reported that the marijuana found in a vehicle that was intercepted weighed 1.8 kilogrammes.
The two occupants of the vehicle, Ika Goitia, 28, and Dion Daniel, 44, were charged for the possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
And during an anti-crime exercise conducted by officers of the Eastern Division Task Force on Wednesday, one man was arrested for possession of the drug that has an estimated street value of $18,000.
