During a phone interview with local outlet the Express while visiting the United States, Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has outlined a sweeping expansion of bilateral security cooperation with Washington, aimed at tightening border control, curbing drug trafficking, and dismantling organized crime across the twin-island nation.
Persad-Bissessar, who is in the U.S. to attend the funeral of her brother-in-law Michael L Ahamad and will return to Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow, with Works and Infrastructure Minister Jearlean John serving as acting Prime Minister in her absence, emphasized that the current government has reversed the security failures of the previous People’s National Movement (PNM) administration. She claimed that under her leadership, national borders are now more tightly controlled, additional Coast Guard vessels patrol territorial waters daily, and the national coastal radar system is fully operational – a stark contrast to conditions under the former government, which she accuses of having left borders porous for criminal networks.
The Prime Minister confirmed that in the coming months, Trinidad and Tobago will receive additional maritime patrol vessels from the United States to boost coastal security. Beyond equipment support, U.S. military and intelligence agencies are ramping up their on-the-ground presence to support local anti-crime operations. Currently, advance elements of U.S. Navy SEAL teams are already in the country coordinating logistics for a larger upcoming deployment. As the U.S. military’s elite special operations force, named for their capability to operate across sea, air and land domains, these SEAL personnel will provide specialized training and operational support to the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard and Defence Force, focusing on border protection, drug interdiction, and internal security operations.
While official data received regularly by the National Security Council, which Persad-Bissessar chairs, shows a measurable drop in serious violent crime across the country, and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) has successfully disrupted multiple gang operations, the Prime Minister acknowledged that persistent security challenges remain. Drug shipments originating in South America continue to flow into the country through unpatrolled coastal areas of southern, southwestern, and central Trinidad. The coastline stretching from Caroni to Marabella, particularly its dense mangrove regions and informal squatter settlements, remains a high-risk smuggling corridor. Persad-Bissessar noted that these squatter communities are deeply infiltrated by criminal gangs, creating safe havens for illicit activity. Beyond transnational drug trafficking, the nation is also grappling with rising petty crime committed by non-gang-affiliated ordinary citizens, alongside ongoing issues of financial fraud and domestic violence. She explained that decades of unpunished lawbreaking have eroded social norms, leading some normally law-abiding residents to commit minor offenses, creating a gradual slide toward broader lawlessness.
In a surprising endorsement, Persad-Bissessar awarded Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro an “A” grade for his performance over his first year leading the TTPS, noting his progress in targeting entrenched criminal groups while acknowledging that fully dismantling long-established community gangs will require years of sustained effort.
On countering transnational financial crime, Persad-Bissessar highlighted critical intelligence support from U.S. agencies, which have identified individuals, business owners, and banking employees linked to cartel drug trafficking and money laundering operations who have moved billions of U.S. dollars out of the country illicitly for years. U.S. authorities have already begun punitive action against these networks, restricting their access to U.S. territory and the American financial system. The U.S. is also supporting upgrades to both physical and digital security infrastructure at Trinidad and Tobago’s major airports and seaports to strengthen border screening.
Persad-Bissessar criticized the former PNM administration for rejecting the full package of U.S. security assistance that was already available to them, accusing the previous government of intentionally leaving borders and ports open to allow traffickers to flood the country with illegal narcotics and weapons.
Looking ahead, the government plans to expand its holistic anti-crime strategy with new legislative measures and increased human resources. To crack down on white-collar crime and the financial networks backing drug trafficking and gang activity, the government is actively recruiting new staff for the understaffed Inland Revenue division, which previously operated at only 25% of its authorized workforce. The division is also receiving upgrades to its tax administration technology, boosting the state’s ability to monitor and investigate illicit financial activity.