Gangs, Guns, and Governance in Trinidad and Tobago

[fokhan_96]

Of concern is the drastic increase in robbery and home invasions. Over the years the focus was on "murder rate"...
Now the focus has shifted.
Now to find innovated ways to protect life and property.

[pugboy]

you mean the focus by us the victims

erla and heinz still believe murder rate is all that matters whilst ppl getting robbed at home every day

Of concern is the drastic increase in robbery and home invasions. Over the years the focus was on "murder rate"...
Now the focus has shifted.
Now to find innovated ways to protect life and property.

[pugboy]

the l/m home invasion gangs starting to hire venes

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... tid=en6awd

[Ben_spanna]

people just need to start dealing with crimninals their own way, clearly from everything we have been hearing about and the inactions of our government to deal with it, they simply dont give a f3uk about us. Just do what you must to stop invaders but do it smart so that you cant be charged.

[pugboy]

yes but govt will come fast to lock you up

people just need to start dealing with crimninals their own way, clearly from everything we have been hearing about and the inactions of our government to deal with it, they simply dont give a f3uk about us. Just do what you must to stop invaders but do it smart so that you cant be charged.

[Rovin]

go about it in a well thought of way & get ur stories in a gear ... even d big man on tv said it in parables

[pugboy]

sandra say dat?

[MaxPower]

the l/m home invasion gangs starting to hire venes

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid ... tid=en6awd

Yeh pug,

These venes are being extorted and forced into crime or their families killed. A really sad situation.

[fokhan_96]

We can't have guns.... but fireworks used in the "right" way can be a deadly weapon.

[MaxPower]

people just need to start dealing with crimninals their own way, clearly from everything we have been hearing about and the inactions of our government to deal with it, they simply dont give a f3uk about us. Just do what you must to stop invaders but do it smart so that you cant be charged.

X3000,

but you hadda prepare and be ready. Most times it happens in the blink of an eye, it just literally runs up on you.

[The_Honourable]

Gang culture ‘escalating’ in T&T

St Paul, Bat, Ztekk and Big Fish offshoots of larger groups

Over the last four months, there have been reports of increased gang activity and gang-related homicides throughout the country.

From reports of an estimated $21 million in cocaine washing ashore in Mayaro and subsequent home invasions and killings in August, as well as the recent increases of homicides and shootings in the Port of Spain Division and Western Division, the country has been left in a state of unease.

While the murder toll for this year (as of December 1) is still fewer than that of the same period for 2022, with 526 homicides reported as compared to 553, an estimated 80 per cent of this year’s killings have been conducted with the use of a firearm, and most of these have been linked to gang-related activities in the respective communities in which they take place.

But what is the cause?

National Security officials told the Express that Trinidad and Tobago stands as a transshipment point for the illegal narcotics trade, serving as a strategic hub for criminal networks with global reach. The alarming instances of cocaine washing ashore, discovered in warehouses, and intercepted in T&T territorial waters underscore the stark reality of a thriving illicit drug trade. This illicit enterprise is starkly dominated by sophisticated Organised Crime Groups and Transnational Organised Crime, posing a significant challenge to the nation’s security and demanding a robust, collaborative response to safeguard our communities and territorial integrity, officials said.

Caribbean diaspora

Former head of the National Operations Centre, and Strategic Security Consultant and Organisational Transformation Expert, Commander Garvin Heerah, told the Express that gang culture has been a part of the Caribbean diaspora for several years. However, he believes that there is a resurgence of the culture.

“The escalating gang culture in Trinidad and Tobago, exacerbated by the proliferation of high-powered weapons through the SALW (small arms and light weapons) trade and the illicit narcotics trade, poses a severe threat to community safety. The unfortunate nexus between gangs and legitimate contracts, border disputes resulting in violence, and the alarming trend of extorting businesses for protection money reflect a deeply entrenched and concerning societal issue. Furthermore, the prison system’s role in perpetuating criminal obligations post-release, alongside patrimonialism substituting State support in impoverished areas, contributes to the persistence of this destructive gang culture. While understanding the complex roots of the issue, it is essential to vehemently reject any attempts to legitimise the existence of the gang culture as an integral part of our social fabric. This perilous phenomenon undermines the foundations of a peaceful and law-abiding society, eroding the safety and well-being of innocent citizens,” Heerah said.

Criminologist Darius Figuera expressed similar concerns. He also noted that the rise of smaller gangs in recent times, from the information he gathered, could be linked to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic, the deaths of known gang leaders and community leaders, as well as the state of the economy.

“What we are seeing is that the system we had in place prior, in which the main gangs were conducting operations, that was disrupted due to the pandemic. When things were locked down, there was a strain to the main gangs, and persons who were accustomed to getting money and handouts for their roles in these operations were no longer receiving funding or such opportunities. So much so that they decided to break off and go into business for themselves, and the main gangs ended up splintering. In fact, in 2022, it was said that the Police Service had knowledge of at least 134 active gangs operating in this country,” he told the Express. “Gone are the days when it was only Rasta City and Muslim gangs. Now you have several slivers of operations. Gangs with names that most people don’t even know because some are just operating on their blocks. But the problem is that there exists a heavy and easy access to illegal firearms, especially automatic rifles.”

He noted that this leads to an increase in violence and reports of criminal activities, including robberies, home invasions, and larcenies, as these smaller gangs are competing for turf and ‘business’.

“So these smaller gangs are now operating, with firearms, and while they have no real impact on the overall models for the illegal transnational trade, because everyone has to eat, you are seeing more instances of violence. And armed with automatic weapons, you are seeing more and more instances, where there are multiple fatalities from one attack,” Figuera said.

Gangs spread

There are now about 140 gangs in operation throughout the country, according to senior police sources.

Of this number, there are about eight ‘main-ones’ and these include Tyson, Muslim, Rasta City, EBG (Everybody Gets It), SIXX(6), Seven, Boombay Gang and ‘Police’.

These gangs conduct main operations such as drug trade, firearm trade, and armed robberies, national security officials said.

They are also the main perpetrators of incidents that include shooting, arson, extortion, kidnapping and murder.

Their reaches also include white-collar crimes which include human trafficking, and illegal quarrying.

However, there are several smaller gangs in operation throughout the country, with names such as Bat, Ztekk, and Big Fish.

One group even called themselves ‘Batman’, officials said.

Other smaller gangs just go by the name of the area they operate in, such as Ninth Street, St Paul, Maloney and La Horquetta.

The smaller groups, police said, tend to run illegal activities within certain communities, with some operations limited only to certain streets.

They will conduct robberies, larcenies, and even minor drug trade and sales.

Despite their size, they are still considered dangerous as many of these groups are armed.

And with reports of home invasions and armed robberies seeing a spike in recent weeks, the prevalence of such gangs is concerning to senior police officials and citizens of this country.

https://trinidadexpress.com/news/local/ ... 311c0.html

[pugboy]

their info a bit twisted, Tyson is not the name of a gang, he is the leader of a big gang from st paul street side aka 6ixx

[zoom rader]

And PNM does nutting.


Continue Trinidad

[alfa]

their info a bit twisted, Tyson is not the name of a gang, he is the leader of a big gang from st paul street side aka 6ixx

Probably a rethorical question but if they know the gangs and their modus operandi and even the govt name of this gang leader why they ent swoop in and arrest from a side, or better yet coax them into a gun fight and then finish them?

[pugboy]

the gang bosses do little work
they have men to do everything
shooters, minding fleet of stolen cars with fake plates etc

[MaxPower]

T&T needs foreign assistance.

[gastly369]

T&T needs foreign assistance.

.

download%20(43).jpg (9.92 KiB) Viewed 2775 times

[pugboy]

those gangs are so organized they pay commissions to members or the community for info on new targets to do home invasions
persons will report on where employers live and if a good target

[mero]

the gang bosses do little work
they have men to do everything
shooters, minding fleet of stolen cars with fake plates etc

Yea but this ain't white collar crime.

To be a gangsta boss and remain a gangsta boss, you hadda to do gangsta boss things.

[pugboy]

it is not so simple,
for example everybody knows who the "shooters" are
but those guys dont keep guns on them, they hide them in the bushes up laventille up some hilly track

any stranger going up in those areas will immediately raise alarm by the lil boys playing in the street lower down.

the only real solution is for govt to stop supporting them and for the police to lock down those areas and have car stop search points in and out.

likewise the multimillion dollar weed business them fellas running have all the stocks well hidden

it could be argued that when weed was decrimnalized that the gangs grew exponentially with all the profits

the gang bosses do little work
they have men to do everything
shooters, minding fleet of stolen cars with fake plates etc

Yea but this ain't white collar crime.

To be a gangsta boss and remain a gangsta boss, you hadda to do gangsta boss things.

[zoom rader]

the gang bosses do little work
they have men to do everything
shooters, minding fleet of stolen cars with fake plates etc

Yea but this ain't white collar crime.

To be a gangsta boss and remain a gangsta boss, you hadda to do gangsta boss things.

Sounds like PNM

[mero]

it is not so simple,
for example everybody knows who the "shooters" are
but those guys dont keep guns on them, they hide them in the bushes up laventille up some hilly track

any stranger going up in those areas will immediately raise alarm by the lil boys playing in the street lower down.

the only real solution is for govt to stop supporting them and for the police to lock down those areas and have car stop search points in and out.

likewise the multimillion dollar weed business them fellas running have all the stocks well hidden

it could be argued that when weed was decrimnalized that the gangs grew exponentially with all the profits

the gang bosses do little work
they have men to do everything
shooters, minding fleet of stolen cars with fake plates etc

Yea but this ain't white collar crime.

To be a gangsta boss and remain a gangsta boss, you hadda to do gangsta boss things.

The weed still coming in from the borders not so?

So them fellas technically eh running multi million weed operations. They just buying big load from the big connects from South bosses/CG/police and venez and flipping.

If is local grow operations. Trini growers not large scale enough supply the demand for weed. To compete against colo u hadda be growing hundreds of lbs of indoor weed per harvest.

That being said I still think weed is just what the average man most familiar with. Coke, crack, guns and contracts fuel these wars, I don't think decriminalising weed to grow 4 plants and have a oz of weed is drastically increasing crime.

And how to want police and govt to stop crime when dem is the bosses? They could kill all dem big gangsters and rude boys today, place go shake up and is back to business with new pawns.

[pugboy]

when they decriminalized weed the demand and opportunity to sell grew exponentially
police were hardly cracking down on blocks for a long time

[zoom rader]

when they decriminalized weed the demand and opportunity to sell grew exponentially
police were hardly cracking down on blocks for a long time

But its the same police that supplied the blocks for donkeys

[aaron17]

Might start ah world war 3 when drugs shipping from Venezuela to Guyana/ vice versa.

[pugboy]

yeah but the street blocks were well controlled
now is free for all market

when they decriminalized weed the demand and opportunity to sell grew exponentially
police were hardly cracking down on blocks for a long time

But its the same police that supplied the blocks for donkeys

[Mmoney607]

their info a bit twisted, Tyson is not the name of a gang, he is the leader of a big gang from st paul street side aka 6ixx

Probably a rethorical question but if they know the gangs and their modus operandi and even the govt name of this gang leader why they ent swoop in and arrest from a side, or better yet coax them into a gun fight and then finish them?

You go and charge them and see what will happen. People still complaining that kamla lock up 9000 Africans

[pugboy]

they hold them last month and release them after

[Chimera]

yeah but the street blocks were well controlled
now is free for all market

when they decriminalized weed the demand and opportunity to sell grew exponentially
police were hardly cracking down on blocks for a long time

But its the same police that supplied the blocks for donkeys

They should completely legalize weed and done. Give out licenses and tax it and open up the market 100%.

Have no reason to hide and buy from a pusher on the corner when Faris nephew selling 50 different strain in a comfortable store with parking.

[Chimera]

At the end of the day Mero have it right.
The heads/backing of plenty of those criminal gangs are a few ministers, plenty high level police, and a few major contractors.


Even the PM personally aligned with one of the biggest importers of drugs who's a major contractor and financier