Three suspects have been arrested, three firearms seized and marijuana trees worth TT$1.5 million were destroyed, by officers during ongoing State of Emergency operations conducted in the Central and Southern Divisions, yesterday.

According to the TTPS, in the first incident, officers of the Special Operations Unit, conducted an exercise around 12:30 am, on Thursday 23rd January, 2025, during which they stopped a silver Toyota Axio motor vehicle, along the Caroni South Bank Road, with two male occupants.

Further investigations led the officers to the St. Helena home of one of the suspects. There, a search was conducted, which resulted in one Smith and Wesson revolver loaded with three rounds of ammunition, being discovered. A female suspect, who was in the house at the time of the search, was arrested alongside the two male suspects in connection with he find.

Meanwhile, Task Force officers in the Central Division were on mobile patrol in the Claxton Bay district yesterday, when they received information about men observed with firearms.

The officers proceeded to the Dump Road area, where they attempted to stop a Hyundai H100 motor vehicle, but were allegedly shot at. In keeping with the Use of Force Policy, the officers returned fire, wounding one man. One AR-15 rifle was found at the scene. The injured man was taken to the Couva Health Facility for treatment, where he was pronounced dead on arrival.

In the Southern Division, Task Force officers, assisted by officers of the Princes Town, Ste. Madeleine, Tableland, Barrackpore, Moruga and St. Mary’s Police Stations, conducted an anti-crime operation in the Moruga and St. Mary’s districts between 3 pm and 7 pm, yesterday.

During the exercise, officers proceeded to La Lune Road, where they conducted a search of a bushy area. There, they discovered 150 fully grown marijuana trees worth an estimated TT$1.5 million, and 200 seedlings. The plants were subsequently destroyed. Officers also conducted searches at the Princes Town home of a male suspect, where they discovered a shotgun.
Investigations are ongoing into the above matters.