Caption: Kamla Persad-Bissessar. Photo: T&T Parliament

 

By Prior Beharry

PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has accused the Opposition People’s National Movement (PNM) of having links to a “local drug mafia” that she claims helps finance the party, alleging the Opposition is trying to shield criminal interests while stoking public fear over a scheduled visit by a United States Navy warship.

In a sharply worded two-page statement issued Friday, Persad-Bissessar defended the five-day port call and training mission by the USS Gravely (DDG-107) and elements of the 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit, which the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs announced late Thursday. The destroyer is due to dock in Port of Spain on Saturday.

“Unfortunately, the Opposition PNM and their agents are persistent in creating unnecessary hysteria and conspiracy theories in a desperate attempt to create instability and chaos,” Persad-Bissessar said. “It is most concerning that the PNM, a party long suspected of being financed by the local drug mafia, is overtly attempting to undermine efforts to stop drug, arms and human trafficking into our country.”

The Prime Minister’s accusations came after several Opposition members, including Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles, urged the Government to provide more details about the visit in media interviews before the start of Parliament’s Standing Finance Committee on Friday. The PNM has raised questions about the scope and purpose of the deployment.

The Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs said the mission will focus on military cooperation and “expert exchanges” with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF), covering core infantry tactics, maintenance procedures, and advanced medical capabilities, and will use TTDF facilities “to enhance tactical proficiency and build mutual trust.”

Persad-Bissessar said her Government “welcomes the United States Navy and Marine Corps” and framed the visit as part of a broader push to strengthen national security amid persistent violent crime.

“This visit augurs well for our nation. It represents a continued partnership in strengthening our national security, enhancing operational readiness, and improving protective capabilities,” she said.

She linked the engagement to long-standing concerns over porous borders, human trafficking, narcotics and firearms smuggling, and high murder rates over the past two decades. She also contended that communities traditionally controlled by the PNM have borne the brunt of gang violence. “Yet the PNM and their agents choose to put the interests of their drug mafia financiers in front of their own constituents,” she alleged, accusing the Opposition of running a “daily disinformation campaign” aimed at derailing interdiction efforts.

The Prime Minister further cited defence cooperation frameworks with the United States, noting that Trinidad and Tobago has maintained a Status of Forces Agreement (SOFA) with Washington since 2007, renewed in 2013 and again in December 2024, alongside the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative Technical Assistance Field Team (CBSI-TAFT) and the Acquisition and Cross-Servicing Agreement (ACSA). She argued these arrangements facilitate interoperability and support regional security.

“We need all the help we can get to protect our people. Trinidad and Tobago must always come first,” she said. “My Government will continue to work with our international partners to strengthen our institutions and safeguard our nation.”

The PNM has not publicly responded to the Prime Minister’s allegations of criminal ties. Attempts to reach Opposition representatives for comment on Friday were unsuccessful.

The USS Gravely’s visit comes amid heightened public debate over foreign military cooperation and its role in addressing domestic security challenges. The Government maintains the deployment is a standard training engagement; the Opposition has pressed for fuller disclosure of its terms and activities.