March 2, 2017: Minister of National Security, Major General (Ret’d) the Honourable Edmund Dillon commends the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard on its recent multi-million dollar drug bust in international waters during a joint drug interdiction operation with the United States of America Coast Guard.
The interception which took place on 16 February, 2017 in international waters north of Paramaribo, off the coast of Suriname resulted in a find of 4.2 tonnes of cocaine with an estimated street value of One Hundred and Twenty-Five Million US dollars ($125,000,000.00 USD/$837,000,000.00 TTD), one of largest in the Atlantic since 1999.
This successful joint operation is demonstrative of the significance of maintaining close international and regional cooperation and coordination in addressing issues related to the transhipment of illegal drugs across borders.
The Ministry of National Security will continue to engage our international and regional partners on strategic and cooperative initiatives in several areas consistent with efforts to mitigate against cross-border crimes.
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