Caption: Vehicles transporting Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro to court in New York on Monday. Photo: AFP
By Alicia Chamely
IT comes as no surprise to Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar that certain Caribbean politicians are implicated in the United States drug trafficking case against former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
Maduro was captured by US forces on Saturday and transported to New York, where he stood before a Federal Judge of the US district court in the Southern District of New York to face narco-terrorism charges on Monday.
The indictment of Nicolas Maduro implicated Caribbean politicians for their role in allowing shipments of narcotics to move freely through their borders from Venezuela to the US.
Maduro’s indictment, in part, stated, “In turn, these politicians used the cocaine fuelled payments to maintain and augment their political power. So, too, were politicians along the “Caribbean route” corrupted by cocaine traffickers, who would pay them for protection from arrest and to allow favoured traffickers to operate with impunity as they trafficked cocaine from Venezuela north towards the United States.”
Posting on
X on Sunday evening, Persad-Bissessar, who had long accused certain politicians, including members of the Opposition, of benefiting from the Venezuelan drug trade, stated she had no doubt that many people would be exposed.
She stated, “I was also asked about the US indictment against Maduro and whether I was surprised that Caribbean politicians were implicated. I’m not surprised at all.”
Adding, “As the story continues to unfold, I have no doubt that many ‘respectable’ and ‘celebrated’ people across all sectors of society will be exposed.”
In her post, Persad-Bissessar stated there was no “crisis” in T&T, claiming “Some persons may be desperate to manufacture a crisis where there is none.”
Persad-Bissessar reiterated T&T had no part to play in the US military’s kinetic strike in Venezuela, therefore, “citizens have no need to be bothered.”
Addressing the Dragon Gas project, which had been shelved by the Maduro regime in response to T&T’s support of the US’s anti-narco terrorism campaign, Persad-Bissessar said the Dragon Gas field belonged to the people of Venezuela and it was their decision as to how to proceed.
She stated, “I was asked by the media today about the Dragon Gas project and I indicated that Dragon gas is the property of the Venezuelan people. Whenever they choose a leader through free and fair democratic elections, that leader will make a decision on Dragon gas.”
Reiterating her statement made last year that T&T was not dependent on Venezuelan gas, she stated, “Trinidad and Tobago does not covet Venezuelan property; we never have and we never will. We will work with what we possess and endeavour to build on it.”
Although Persad-Bissessar advocated for the US’s intervention in dismantling the Venezuelan drug trade, she had always stated she was in support of the Venezuelan people and their peace.
Reaffirming this, and expressing her optimism for renewed diplomatic relations, she stated, “As indicated previously, Trinidad and Tobago looks forward to renewed cooperation and the strengthening of our longstanding friendship with the people of Venezuela in the coming years.”
Adding, “and I wish them God’s guidance on their transition from oppression and dictatorship to democracy and prosperity.”
