A joint operation by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) and the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) intercepted a fishing vessel off the Point Fortin coastline early Friday, resulting in the seizure of an estimated $29.4 million worth of high‑grade cannabis.

The TTPS stated in a release on Friday that the bust followed credible intelligence received on Thursday, indicating a large consignment of Colombian “Creepy” marijuana was being ferried from Venezuela to Trinidad aboard a fishing vessel. After the information was corroborated by international partners, a specialised TTPS unit coordinated with the TTCG to track the vessel, according to the release.

At about 3 Friday, Coast Guard patrols stopped a pirogue near Point Fortin. Officers said the occupants tried to flee, tossing several large garbage bags overboard. Three individuals jumped into the sea and escaped, while two men — a Trinidadian and a Latin American national — remained aboard and were detained.

Authorities recovered nine crocus bags containing 268 brown‑wrapped packets of cannabis from the water surrounding the vessel. The drugs have a combined estimated weight of 268 kilograms and a street value of $29,412,196, police said.

The vessel, the seized narcotics and the two detainees were taken to Staubles Bay and handed over to police for further investigations. A search was continuing on Friday for the three fugitives.

Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro praised the operation, saying it underscored the importance of intelligence‑driven policing and cross‑border cooperation.

“This successful interception highlights the strength of the TTPS’s intelligence apparatus and the effectiveness of precision policing when supported by our regional and international partners,” he said.

Guevarro said, “We will continue to build on these relationships to protect our borders and dismantle criminal networks that are the nucleus of most of the serious violence and crime we face in our country.”