Special Operations officers attached to the Port-of-Spain City Police (PoSCP) have arrested and charged six men for assembling for the purpose of gambling and smoking of cannabis.
Police identified the suspects as Wendell Jordan, 63, of John John, Laventille, Andrew Sween, 58, of Cantaro Village, Santa Cruz, Christopher Mohammed, 54, of Endeavour, Chaguanas, Ishmeal Gomez, 47, of East Dry River, Port-of-Spain, Sherman Wilson, 46, of San Juan, and Ishmeal Mitchell, 40, of Laventille, all employed by the Port-of-Spain City Corporation.
The group was granted $500 bail and will appear before a Port-of Spain Magistrate on November 11, 2022.
According to police reports, at 7:30am Saturday officers of the PoSCP Multi-Operational Unit, under the supervision of Superintendent Glen Charles, arrived at the Transport and Cleansing Division of the Port-of-Spain Corporation.
While there, officers were alerted to a man sitting at the Northern end of the building smoking what appeared to be a long cigarette with a scent similar to that of marijuana smoke.
Upon seeing the officers, the man allegedly quickly swallowed the substance, tossed the long cigarette in the opposite direction and proceeded to walk away. He was intercepted by police and arrested.
An hour later, officers went to the Central Market, also a Division of the Port-of-Spain Corporation.
When they arrived, they spotted two men smoking long cigarettes with a scent similar to that of marijuana smoke.
The officers approached the men and asked them if they were smoking marijuana in a public place while on duty. They allegedly admitted to the offence and were arrested.
A short distance away, the officers reportedly saw three men huddled in a corner around a table with money atop.
The men spotted the officers and allegedly grabbed the money and ran off in the opposite direction. They were caught a short distance away, arrested and taken to the PoSCP Headquarters where they were charged for the offences.
The exercise was also spearheaded by Cpl Maharaj as part of an ongoing initiative to curb gang activities within the Port-of-Spain Corporation.
Supt Charles said his police officers and specialised sections are working on several leads and more arrests are imminent.
He said, though the criminal issues are multi-layered, his team is “committed” and “are going after the suspected perpetrators to ensure the safety of all burgesses in the Capital
