guardian.co.tt
Minister of National Security Fitzgerald Hinds has expressed disappointment over the “easily accessible bail” that was granted to suspects involved in the trafficking of synthetic drugs, following the most recent discovery of a methamphetamine lab at The Residences, San Fernando, in early August.
Hinds made the comment on the opening day of the Human Impacts of Autonomous Weapons Systems conference at the Hyatt Regency, Port-of-Spain, yesterday, as he addressed news that 24-year-old Chinese national Wong Fei Wu had been granted $100,000 bail by Senior Magistrate Armina Deonarinesingh in the matter.
Noting that crime fighting was the primary responsibility of the T&T Police Service, Hinds said officers who locate and charge suspects are discouraged when such attainable bail for crimes of such magnitude are granted by the courts, especially to foreign nationals engaged in narcotic trafficking who may then have the resources to flee the country immediately after posting their bail.
To support his claim, the minister referenced a case in which three Chinese nationals were held with over $8 million worth of ketamine and a quantity of cash on January 26, 2022, in Trincity, and the arrest of another the Chinese national in the more recent incident at The Residences.
“… As you raised it, the methamphetamines production unit, and prior to that, last year, the police busted a ketamine manufacturing and distribution operation in Trincity—arrested and charged three non-nationals of Trinidad and Tobago who were granted bail by the court and from information available to me, they (the Chinese nationals) have since fled the country.
“The methamphetamine laboratory operator, one non-national, was arrested and much to my surprise and much to the demoralisation of the police officers involved, as they reported it to me, the man, who was given very, very easily accessible bail and God knows if he may have left the country as well.
“So, as we battle with this question of crime, it is becoming more and more clear to me, and I hope to you, that the focus on dealing with crime is primarily that of the police service in accordance with the Police Service Act but it is not limited to the police service.”
Hinds suggested that all sectors of the country need to work together to combat the crime scourge that is plaguing the country.
This is not the first time Hinds has trained his attention on members of the judiciary who adjudicate on cases.
In May, Hinds also came under fire for stating that criminals had friends in the judiciary during a televised address in response to the constitutional lawsuit brought by firearm dealer Brent Thomas. The judiciary condemned the minister’s statements as “gratuitous”.
During the event, Hinds reportedly stated that “criminals have friends everywhere in this country. They have them in the Police Service, they have them in the Customs, in the Immigration, in the Defence Force, they have them in the Judiciary, they have them in Parliament.”
Contacted for comment on Hinds’ statement, however, former Senate president and attorney-at-law Timothy Hamel-Smith warned Hinds, and the Government by extension, to take accountability for crime, which, he said, has negatively impacted family life and investment in business.
“They are criticising the judiciary for the decisions they’ve (the Government) made. Now we have another entity to blame, namely the judiciary, for the shortcomings and the failures of the Government to arrest crime and arrest people,” Hamel-Smith said.
He said the minister’s comments implied that the Bail Amendment Bill should be supported to define certain offences which attract no bail.
However, he warned that the country can fall victim to becoming a police state, with innocent individuals guilty until proven innocent, which reverses the rule of law. Instead, he called for legislation to make it easier for judicial officers to determine matters involving firearms, for instance.
“There is no reason why we shouldn’t have an improved firearms legislation which results in a person being charged for having an unlicensed firearm and that such an offence carries with it, if you like, 15 years imprisonment but you must make the system as simple as possible and the court readily available, if need be on a 24-hour basis, in order to adjudicate on these matters,” he suggested.
Meanwhile, Minister Hinds also described the current crime situation as “quite burdensome and “quite alarming”, although he assured that it was engaging the attention of the Government.
He also shared his views on the $21 million worth of cocaine that washed ashore in Mayaro on August 21. The National Security Minister explained that while packets of drugs washed ashore and were reported to police by a law-abiding civilian, others had unwittingly involved themselves by taking some for themselves.
Although he provided no further information, Hinds cautioned individuals against becoming the subject of the police service’s investigation.
“If I’m as foolish and as adventurous as some of us can be and take it up and decide, well OK,’ I could profit from its presence and my possession of it, then I now become part of the issue and will gain the attention of the police but perhaps even those who might have some other concerns for the package,” he said.
When Guardian Media visited Mayaro last weekend, residents expressed fear that drug dealers were searching for their product. There were also reports that individuals who picked up parcels and others who didn’t were targeted by armed men.
