ACTING Commissioner of Prisons Hayden Forde says the Trinidad and Tobago Prison Service has recorded at least 626 drone sightings over its facilities in the past six months, warning that unmanned aircraft are now the “greatest challenge” facing the service.
Speaking on TV6’s Morning Edition on Monday, Forde said the incidents occurred between April 4 and October 4, 2025, with most flights observed over the Maximum Security Prison (MSP) in Arouca, which houses the country’s largest inmate population.
“The vast majority of those flights are at the Maximum Security Prison because our greatest population is condensed at MSP,” he said, noting smaller numbers of sightings at the Port of Spain Prison and the Eastern Correctional and Rehabilitation Centre (ECRC).
Forde said the drones are being used to deliver contraband into prison compounds and acknowledged the service lacks the technology to counter them. “Those flights take place every single day… we are unable to properly treat with those drone drops,” he said. “We do not have the technology, nor the facility to treat with those at this current time.”
Calling for urgent investment, Forde urged the deployment of anti-drone systems across all prison estates. “If we have one device with a particular radius, then any drone coming into that space can be detected; we can disable it, bring it down, or send it back to the handler,” he said, adding that coordination with the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) would be necessary to make arrests linked to drone operations.
Forde also alleged that some prison officers are complicit in trafficking. “There are individuals at MSP who, it is reported, if a package is dropped in the ‘airing’ yard, will allow persons to go and retrieve it… officers are involved in that aspect of trafficking, and as far as I am concerned, they are gang members,” he said.
He further highlighted the absence of CCTV systems as a barrier to enforcement. “It will be truly helpful if all our prisons are equipped with CCTV… you can pull that footage, form a report, take statements, and charge officers accordingly,” he said.
Inside the prisons, cigarettes have become a form of currency, Forde added. “The average cost throughout the entire system is approximately $100 for one cigarette. You can get an inmate to do almost anything for one cigarette.”
The interview followed a recent police operation in which two men were arrested attempting to smuggle contraband—including a drone, batteries, cannabis, and cell phones—into the Maximum Security Prison. Authorities did not immediately provide updates on charges in that case.
