00:00More than $1.6 billion worth of narcotics went up in flames at the carony cremation site this morning.
00:07Marijuana, heroin and ecstasy were among the drugs destroyed by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
00:12in what the Commissioner of Police says is a demonstration of accountability and transparency.
00:18The narcotics were seized in major operations dating back several years.
00:22Dominic Ramroop reports in this story compiled by Sharla Kisto.
00:27We're at the scene where Police Commissioner Alistair Guevara along with other senior police officers
00:32has overseen the destruction of over $1 billion of seized narcotics.
00:37Cocaine, marijuana and heroin all seized by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service
00:42and destroyed this morning at the carony cremation site.
00:46In total it's about $1.68 billion worth of narcotics, cocaine, marijuana, heroin
00:54and some of the more recent ecstasy pills.
00:57For the TTPS, the destruction is about more than getting rid of seized drugs.
01:01The Commissioner says it is also about allowing the public to see what happens to narcotics
01:06once the legal process is complete.
01:09It is significant at this point in time because as the TTPS,
01:13we want to show accountability and transparency to the public.
01:18You know the whole narrative, oh there is gogetate in it.
01:21Well it can't gogetate.
01:22It has been set on fire and we are destroying it for the entire world to see.
01:27Among the narcotics destroyed today were approximately $700 million worth of cocaine
01:33seized off Monos Island in 2005.
01:36There was also the two-ton marijuana seizure from the carony swamp last year
01:40along with other drug busts from airports and operations across the country.
01:45But why did some of these drugs remain in police custody for so long?
01:49The answer is tied to the court process.
01:52That's one of the reasons why it takes a number of years to have destruction taking place,
01:57especially in the Monos Islands.
01:58That particular court matter, the arrest was in 2005, 2008 appeal court,
02:05they actually went to the Privy Council.
02:06So at this stage, men are already making probably about 12, 15 years in jail.
02:13So that matter is resolved, so we can destroy those narcotics.
02:15In the case of the carony swamp, no one was charged in that,
02:19so we could actually go ahead and destroy that narcotics.
02:21He says today's destruction is intended to provide greater visibility into the process.
02:27I have seen actually the disintegration of narcotics over a period of time.
02:32It's a substance.
02:33So cocaine would result actually down from solid to powder.
02:37Even marijuana would actually go to dust.
02:40So, you know, in those instances, I have seen the disintegration of narcotic exhibits.
02:47But in this particular case, as I said, this is about openness, accountability, transparency.
02:53We're destroying it here for the world to see.
02:56Guevaro says the ultimate objective is to prevent narcotics from reaching communities and our young people
03:01and from generating money for criminal activity.
03:04The mere fact that we are able to destroy $1.68 billion worth of narcotics here for the world to
03:11see
03:11means that there's a lot of narcotics that are not making it into the hands of our children,
03:17a lot of narcotics that are not being sold to fuel gang violence against our citizens.
03:22But the destruction of narcotics is being framed as one part of the wider fight.
03:26Minister of Homeland Security, Roger Alexander, says the problem affects every family
03:32and he is calling on the parents to help keep drugs out of their homes and communities.
03:37Narcotics would always be a problem to any father, mother, brother, sister, aunt, cousin, teacher.
03:43So when you see this happening here, we would have saved how much millions of lives of young people.
03:51And you're looking at what's happening now.
03:53You see young people walking about the streets, like almost statue robot, kind of finished like the narcotics.
04:00It's destroying our community.
04:02So what we did in return, we are destroying the narcotics.
04:06So it's war.
04:08Right?
04:09Law enforcement, the ministry versus narcotics.
04:12So we are asking parents now to take that same initiative and then define it home.
04:18Destroy it the same way.
04:19Destroy it from coming into your home.
04:21Destroy it from coming into your communities.
04:22And destroying your people.
04:25Dominic Romroop, TV6 News.
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