Caption: This combination of screen grabs images from a video posted by US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth on his X account on October 22, 2025, shows what Hegseth says is US military forces conducting a strike on a vessel being operated by a “designated terrorist organization conducting narco-trafficking” in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on October 21, 2025.
By Alicia Chamely
ATTORNEY General John says US military strikes against alleged traffickers were consistent with international law and as far as he is aware he does not know that any citizen of Trinidad and Tobago was killed in the strikes.
On Wednesday at a conference held at the United National Congress headquarters in Chaguanas, Jeremie was questioned on the legality of the US armed forces strikes on boats allegedly operated by cartel traffickers, considering the United Nations and numerous international law agencies had flagged the attacks as illegal.
The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, states that countries must not interfere with vessels operating within international waters. Although the US was not a signatory to the Convention, their military had historically respected the parameters laid forth by the UN.
Jeremie said he had sought consultation with an international law expert, who stated the strikes were in fact legal according to international law.
He said, “The strikes were consistent with international law. I took external advice outside of the Office of the Attorney General and that was the advice which was given to me by an international expert.”
Further questioned to explain the legality given there was international concern over the absence of due process, Jeremie said, “I would not be able to answer that question without going into the meat and bones of the advice that I have received.”
Asked who gave him the advice he said, “I will elect not to say who? What I would say is that it is an international expert, someone who is outside of Trinidad and Tobago”
He said, “I’ve done my job, which is to ensure that the Republic acts in accordance with law.”
Addressing reports that two Trinidadian citizens, Rishi Samaroo and Chad Joseph, were killed by US forces when the boat they were on travelling from Venezuela was blown up on October 14, 2025, Jeremie stated he had no knowledge of T&T citizens being killed in any of the US attacks.
Jeremie said, “I have no comment, save and except to see that even now, I do not know that any Trinidad and Tobago citizen was killed in any strike.”
His response mirrored that of Minister of Foreign Affairs and CARICOM Sean Sobers, who at the post cabinet press brief on October 30, 2025, said, “There is no evidence to suggest that they were killed by a military strike,” when asked about Samaroo and Joseph.
Finally, Jeremie was questioned as to whether any US military or assets were launched from T&T to aid in the capture of now former President of Venezuela Nicolas Maduro on January 3.
Jeremie sharply responded, “There was no involvement of Trinidad and Tobago in those activities.”
On the day of Maduro’s capture, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar released a statement on her X stating T&T was not involved in the US’s early morning kinetic strikes on Venezuela and capture of Maduro.
T&T’s role in Maduro’s capture had recently been thrust into the public sphere with international military experts debating whether T&T was used as a launch point for US military personnel.
