In Brief
Coastal Vulnerability. The sea is essential for our livelihoods and tourism, but it is increasingly exploited by criminal networks for the smuggling of narcotics, people, and contraband.
Recent Interceptions. Recent successful operations by the Defence Force and Coast Guard, including major suspected drug seizures, highlight the ongoing and necessary battle against maritime crime.
Inter-Agency Teamwork. Effective border protection relies heavily on shared intelligence and rapid coordination between various national security, immigration, and customs agencies.
Disrupting the Criminal Chain. Stopping illegal shipments at sea directly prevents drugs, firearms, and associated violence from infiltrating our local towns and villages.
“Protecting Tobago.” Strong maritime security is vital for maintaining Tobago’s reputation as a safe destination for residents and tourists alike, effectively securing our national front door.
Dear Editor,
For those of us living in coastal communities especially, the sea is much more than scenery. It is part of our livelihood, our tourism industry, and our connection with the wider Caribbean. Unfortunately, those same waters can also be exploited for the illegal movement of people, narcotics, firearms, and other contraband. That is why every successful maritime interception should matter to ordinary citizens, even when the operation takes place many miles away from where we live.
The latest example occurred during the early hours of September 28, when the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force intercepted the locally registered vessel TFV 1231 Champion approximately 10.8 nautical miles southwest of Barranconnes Point. Three Venezuelan nationals were aboard, and a subsequent search reportedly uncovered 11 crocus bags containing packets of compressed plant-like material. The vessel, its occupants, and the material were taken to Staubles Bay for further investigation. At the time of the initial report, authorities had not publicly identified the substance or announced any charges, so the investigation should be allowed to determine exactly what was being transported.
What citizens should nevertheless appreciate is the surveillance and coordination required to make such interceptions possible. The operation involved the Defence Force with support from the Strategic Intelligence Unit, the Immigration Division, and the Customs and Excise Division. That is what modern border protection increasingly requires: agencies sharing intelligence, identifying suspicious movements, and responding before a vessel simply disappears into the vast network of bays, fishing areas, and coastal communities around our islands.
This incident also comes only weeks after another major operation near Huevos Island. In that case, the Coast Guard intercepted a vessel carrying 440.20 kilogrammes of cocaine, subsequently valued at approximately TT$204.5 million. Four men were arrested after 394 packages were recovered and the substance was confirmed as cocaine. These incidents demonstrate why border security cannot be treated as something separate from crime inside our communities.
Drugs and illegal goods do not simply appear on a street corner. They have to be transported, financed, distributed, and protected by criminal networks. Where large quantities of narcotics are involved, enormous sums of money are also involved, along with the potential for firearms, violence, corruption, and other criminal activity. Stopping illegal shipments at sea can therefore prevent part of that criminal chain from ever reaching our towns and villages.
For Tobago, strong maritime security is especially important. Our island depends heavily on tourism, fishing, and safe movement across surrounding waters. Residents and visitors must be able to use those waters without feeling that organised criminal activity is being allowed to operate freely around us. Continued patrols and properly equipped maritime units therefore contribute not only to national security but also to confidence in Tobago as a safe place to live, work, and visit.
No individual interception means the problem has been solved. Criminal organisations adjust their routes and methods, which means our security agencies must remain equally adaptable. What matters is maintaining intelligence, patrols, inter-agency cooperation, and the ability to act quickly when suspicious activity is detected.
Our coastline is effectively part of Trinidad and Tobago’s national front door. Protecting it helps protect every community behind it.
Michael Baptiste
Plymouth, Tobago
