TWO Trinidadian men were arrested on provisional federal charges in the United States, following a 2023 DEA-backed operation that culminated in a major drug seizure in Trinidad.

On Wednesday, personnel from the US Embassy’s Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) Vetted Unit, with support from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) Special Investigative Unit (SIU), arrested Daveanan Deonarine and Michael Samsondar on provisional arrest warrants issued in the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The men are charged with conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States, a case tied to a 2023 DEA investigation that resulted in the seizure of 168 kilograms of cocaine in Trinidad, a release from the US Embassy stated on Friday.

Officials say the May 18, 2023 operation represented the largest on-land drug seizure in Trinidad and Tobago’s history, with the narcotics valued at more than TT$234 million.

The suspects are in custody and awaiting extradition proceedings to the United States. The TTPS’ Transnational Organized Crime Unit (TOCU) assisted in the case.

US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Dr Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz said, “The US Embassy’s DEA personnel and TOCU have been working side by side for over two decades. The close working relationship they have fostered, the mutual trust, and their excellent law enforcement work show results in these arrests. Together the United States and Trinidad and Tobago are making the region safer and more secure for all of our citizens. I am proud of the work we do with our Trinbagonian counterparts day in and day out.”