In a high-stakes intelligence-led anti-narcotics operation carried out across Wednesday and Thursday in the central Trinidad community of Longdenville, Trinidad and Tobago law enforcement has seized one of the region’s recent largest cocaine hauls and taken three foreign-linked suspects into custody. Officials from the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) confirmed that two of the three detainees are Saint Lucian nationals, aged 37 and 38, while the third is a 42-year-old businessperson with ties to the British Virgin Islands. All three are being held at the St Joseph Police Station as investigators continue to unpack the alleged smuggling network behind the shipment.
The operation was launched after investigators received intelligence pointing to illegal activity — specifically the secret storage of unlicensed firearms and controlled narcotics — at a local property grouping that included a private residence, a commercial warehouse, and the surrounding fenced compound. Acting under legal authority granted by Section 12 of the country’s 2026 Emergency Powers Regulations, officers were granted approval to conduct a full search of all premises on the site.
During the search of the warehouse, investigators uncovered a sophisticated smuggling hiding spot: six large backhoe tyres fitted with metal rims. When officers inspected the units more closely, they found 420 rectangular drug packages concealed within the inner cavities of four of the six tyres. In total, the seized cocaine weighs approximately 416.5 kilograms, with an estimated street value of 193.5 million Trinidad and Tobago dollars, equal to roughly 28.7 million U.S. dollars. Official photos released by the TTPS document the seized packages and their hidden storage inside the heavy equipment tyres.
The seizure marks a major win for regional anti-drug trafficking efforts, as Trinidad and Tobago remains a key transshipment point for narcotics moving between South American producer countries and North American and European consumer markets. The TTPS has stated that investigative work is ongoing, with officers working to trace the origin of the cocaine, identify any additional co-conspirators linked to the smuggling ring, and pursue full prosecution under the country’s drug laws.