Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago has identified cross-border criminal operations as the primary driver behind escalating violent crime in the nation. In official statements released December 4, 2025, the Prime Minister specifically pointed to “sanction-busting Venezuelan criminals” who she alleges are collaborating with domestic drug traffickers.
The announcement coincides with confirmed plans for deploying advanced US radar technology in Tobago. According to Persad-Bissessar, this surveillance system will significantly enhance detection capabilities for various illegal activities originating from Venezuela, including crude oil smuggling, narcotics and weapons trafficking, and human trafficking operations.
In a pointed critique of previous administrations, the Prime Minister questioned the effectiveness of earlier radar systems that failed to identify unauthorized ship-to-ship transfers of sanctioned Venezuelan oil within Trinidad’s territorial waters. Official documents reportedly identified Trinidad as the point of origin for some of these illicit oil shipments.
Persad-Bissessar emphasized that the new radar infrastructure will substantially strengthen national security protections beyond previous capabilities. This development occurs against the backdrop of expanded US military presence throughout the Caribbean region and increased pressure campaigns targeting Venezuela.
Recent weeks have seen US forces execute over twenty operations against suspected Venezuelan drug trafficking organizations. While expressing support for these anti-narcotics efforts, the Prime Minister explicitly denied any possibility that Trinidad and Tobago would serve as a staging ground for military strikes against Venezuela.