A tense 24-hour standoff at Trinidad’s Piarco International Airport concluded Sunday with authorities granting departure clearance to an Ukrainian-crewed cargo jet that landed for a refuelling stop carrying undeclared industrial explosives, officials have confirmed. The aircraft, a Soviet-era Antonov An-12BP registered as flight CVK-7078, touched down at the airport just after 6 p.m. local time Thursday, arriving from the Bahamas en route to Cape Verde, with its final destination of Libya.
As is standard for technical stopovers — brief landings for operational needs such as refuelling, crew changes or maintenance rather than passenger or cargo handling — the eight-person crew submitted general declarations to local ground handling agents. On their cargo documentation, the crew marked the cargo load as “nil”, meaning no cargo was being carried for the duration of the flight segment. This inaccurate reporting raised immediate red flags for on-site immigration officers, who quickly alerted Trinidad and Tobago Customs and Excise Division officials to launch an inspection.
A detailed search of the aircraft’s cargo hold uncovered 7,656 kilograms of industrial explosives marked as “Oilwell explosives”, classified under the UN dangerous goods code UN0440. Further review of the plane’s documentation confirmed the shipment originated in Houston, Texas, and was bound for Libyan end-users. In line with international aviation security regulations, all hazardous goods must be formally declared to destination and transit authorities to ensure proper handling and mitigate public safety risks.
Following the discovery, the aircraft was immediately secured and impounded, with the full crew taken into custody for questioning by a multi-agency task force including local and international security partners. The joint investigation team included Trinidad’s Customs and Excise Division, the Airports Authority Police Force, the national Special Branch intelligence unit, the Caribbean-based aviation security coalition AIRCOP, and United States border investigators, among other national security stakeholders.
During a sitting of Trinidad and Tobago’s Parliament Friday, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander addressed growing public concerns over the incident, responding to an urgent question from Opposition Member of Parliament Marvin Gonzales. Gonzales asked what immediate security measures had been put in place to protect airport staff and the general public after reports of the explosives-laden plane circulated. Alexander confirmed that the plane carrying several tonnes of undeclared dangerous goods had been impounded shortly after arrival, and that investigations were being carried out in coordination with the national Police Service, intelligence agencies and the Ministry of Defence.
When asked by Gonzales whether there was any active threat to Trinidad and Tobago citizens, Alexander stressed that the situation remained fully under control and posed no danger to the public. Earlier Friday, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) released a public statement echoing that assurance, noting that ongoing enhanced security protocols under the country’s current State of Emergency allowed routine checks to catch the documentation irregularities before any risk emerged.
“In keeping with the heightened security posture under the ongoing State of Emergency, routine checks identified irregularities requiring immediate precautionary action. The aircraft was secured, the crew accounted for, and all relevant national security units activated in accordance with established protocols,” the TTPS statement read. The agency added that at no point did the aircraft or its cargo pose a threat to the travelling public, airport operations, or the broader Trinidadian public, noting “the situation remained calm, controlled, and professionally managed.”
After completing extensive inquiries and threat assessments, the joint investigative team determined that no criminal liability could be assigned to the pilot or the eight-member crew. In an official announcement released shortly before 7 p.m. Friday, the Airports Authority of Trinidad and Tobago confirmed that formal departure clearance had been granted, allowing the plane and crew to continue their planned journey. Officials declined to share further details on the investigation, citing intelligence confidentiality requirements and international security information-sharing agreements.