标签： Trinidad and Tobago

For decades, the Port of Spain Wholesale Fish Market on Production Avenue has stood as a cornerstone of Trinidad and Tobago’s fishing industry. Opening its doors in 1983, the facility has grown into the island nation’s primary distribution hub, funneling fresh fish and shrimp to grocers, street vendors, restaurants and hotels across the country. But when the Sea Lots Fisherfolk Association was told by National Agricultural Marketing and Development Corporation (Namdevco) CEO Nirmalla Debysingh at a June 2, 2026 meeting that the market would shutter permanently, with an eviction notice targeting a June 14 shutdown, panic and uncertainty spread rapidly through the community.

The stakes could not be higher for local fishermen: association figures show 69 registered fishers would face direct, immediate disruption to their livelihoods if the facility closes. Industry data from 2022 underscores the market’s outsize economic importance, recording that an average of 125,000 pounds of seafood moves through its docks and processing bays every month. For many operators who have built their careers at the Sea Lots site, proposals to relocate all operations to Carenage ring hollow. Several fishermen, speaking on condition of anonymity to avoid professional retaliation, explained that decades of work at the current location have cemented operational ties there, and the existing infrastructure in Carenage simply cannot accommodate the number of vessels and volume of seafood processed daily at Port of Spain.

The growing controversy over the proposed shutdown soon caught the attention of local political leadership. Port of Spain Mayor Chinua Alleyne confirmed Monday that his office was contacted by the fisherfolk association immediately after members received closure notices. Following the outreach, Alleyne held talks with Councillor Jenneil Frederick and association representatives, who formally requested support from the Port of Spain City Corporation.

Alleyne framed the potential closure as a threat far beyond the fishing community itself. “The Port of Spain Wholesale Fish Market represents a crucial element of the economic engine in Sea Lots and plays a critical role in ensuring that the burgesses of Sea Lots have a stake in the formal economy,” he said in a formal statement, emphasizing that the site is integral to local economic stability.

Responding to public pressure and media inquiries, Agriculture and Fisheries Minister Ravi Ratiram stepped in to offer the fishing community a temporary reprieve. Ratiram confirmed he immediately reached out to Namdevco for clarification after the reports of the June 14 shutdown emerged, and secured a formal assurance that no closure would take place on that date. The minister acknowledged that Namdevco currently owes outstanding rental payments to the Port Authority, which owns the land the market sits on, but stressed that any permanent decision about the facility’s future must include full consultation with all affected stakeholders.

“Any path forward has to work for all parties involved,” Ratiram said, noting that ongoing discussions will focus on finding a solution that preserves both the profitability and long-term sustainability of the local fishing sector. Shortly after his statement, the minister visited the Port of Spain market to meet directly with Sea Lots Fisherfolk Association executives, describing the talks as “pleasant” and reaffirming the Trinidad and Tobago government’s commitment to supporting and expanding the domestic fishing industry.

Despite the temporary reprieve, deep uncertainty remains about the long-term future of the site. If Namdevco ends its operations at the location, the property will revert to Port Authority control, leaving the fisherfolk with no guarantee they can remain. For the moment, fishermen have paused planned protest action, choosing to prioritize negotiation and political advocacy to protect their livelihoods. Still, many in the community say they will not feel secure until a binding, long-term plan for the market is finalized. Namdevco CEO Nirmalla Debysingh has not responded to multiple requests for comment on the issue.

A routine late-night trip along one of Trinidad’s busiest highways turned into a violent confrontation early Saturday, when two young men became the targets of an armed robbery after their car suffered a sudden mechanical failure. According to official police reports, the pair was traveling westbound on the Beetham Highway at approximately 2:34 a.m. when their white Mitsubishi Lancer began spewing fire from its engine compartment. Forced to pull over near the Beetham Landfill, the two men had little time to react to their vehicle crisis before they were confronted by two unidentified male attackers who immediately declared the encounter a robbery.

A physical struggle broke out between the victims and the robbers, during which one of the two travelers was beaten by the assailants. After overpowering the pair, the attackers made off with a combined total of $410 in cash, along with a personal wallet that held critical identification and financial documents: a Republic Bank debit card, the victim’s driver’s permit, and a national identification card. Following the robbery, the suspects fled on foot into the nearby Beetham Gardens neighborhood, where they have remained at large as of the latest police updates.

Authorities have released detailed descriptions of both suspects to aid in public tips and investigative efforts. The first suspect is identified as a person of African descent with a dark brown complexion, medium build, and stands roughly six feet tall. He has unkempt hair, no facial hair, and was last seen wearing a white athletic jersey and black three-quarter-length pants. The second suspect shares a dark brown complexion, also stands around six feet tall, and has a slim build. His distinguishing features include long unkempt hair and a goatee, and he was wearing a patterned orange-and-green T-shirt paired with grey three-quarter pants.

The incident was promptly reported to law enforcement, with officers from the Besson Street Police Station taking charge of the ongoing investigation. Police have not yet announced any arrests or recovered stolen property, and are asking any members of the public who were in the area around the time of the attack or who have information about the suspects to come forward to assist with the case.

The devastating murder of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne has gripped the nation in shock and grief, after an official autopsy confirmed the young Erin RC Primary School student died from severe blunt force trauma to the head. On the day the results were released, Mercedez’s father, Ronald Cabrera, struggled through overwhelming emotion as he addressed the public, describing a pain that no legal punishment could ever repair. The child’s partially clothed remains were discovered early Sunday morning near an inactive oil well along Carapal Road in Erin, just hours after her family reported her missing.

Choking back tears, Cabrera explained that autopsy results linked the fatal head injuries to the bleeding from Mercedez’s ears that left relatives horrified when her body was first found. Reeling from his unimaginable loss, he questioned the purpose of even the harshest sentences for convicted criminals, asking: “Could anything bring back my daughter? You could get a million years. Could you bring back my daughter?” He also raised questions about the burden of incarcerating violent offenders, asking why public tax dollars should be used to support people who commit such heinous acts.

At present, a 24-year-old man from Palo Seco remains in police custody as law enforcement continues its full investigation into the child’s killing. The details of Mercedez’s death have horrified communities across the country and reignited long-simmering demands for more robust, urgent measures to keep children safe across the nation.

According to police accounts, Mercedez’s body was first spotted just after 6:40 a.m. Sunday by a maintenance worker with Trinity Exploration and Production Services, who was traveling to the oil well site for routine work. The worker found the child unresponsive on the ground and alerted the Erin Police Station immediately. Responding officers located the body roughly 500 feet down a narrow dirt track leading to the well; Mercedez was found face down, wearing only a green T-shirt, with no clothing below the waist.

Crime scene investigators collected a range of potential evidence from the area, including garments believed to belong to the victim, a broken glass bottle, a single slipper, food items, and other pieces of forensic material. Investigators later confirmed that Mercedez was first reported missing around 4 p.m. Saturday by her grandfather, Morriso Gastoigne. Gastoigne told police he last saw his granddaughter around 11:30 a.m. that same day, when she got into a pink station wagon driven by an unknown man. The vehicle was reportedly traveling toward the family’s home along Los Iros Beach Road, but Mercedez never arrived at the residence.

Clyde Elder, the Member of Parliament for La Brea, visited both the crime scene and the grieving family’s home on Sunday, describing the killing as a crushing blow to the small, tight-knit regional community. “This has been a shocking, heart-wrenching, gruesome, vexatious act committed,” Elder said in a statement following his visit. “The community of Los Iros, Carapal, Erin, is close-knit, and I think what has happened has left us all as a community in a state of disbelief. Right now people are just hoping for justice.”

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles also extended formal condolences to Mercedez’s family and joined the call for immediate action to strengthen national child protection frameworks. “The apparent rise in incidents involving missing and abducted children in recent months warrants urgent and coordinated action by the State to strengthen child protection measures, improve public safety systems, and enhance community awareness,” Beckles said.

Trinidad and Tobago’s top financial oversight body has sounded an urgent alarm over a growing scam involving counterfeit identification cards that fraudulently claim affiliation with three of the nation’s leading financial and law enforcement agencies. The Financial Intelligence Unit of Trinidad and Tobago (FIUTT) confirmed that scammers are now circulating fake ID cards that bear the official logos of the FIUTT itself, the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago (CBTT), and the Financial Investigations Branch (FIB) of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service.

According to the official public notice released by the FIUTT, these forged credentials falsely label their bearers as “Financial Analyst Supervisors” and legitimate representatives of the three mentioned agencies. The FIUTT has emphasized in clear terms that these identification documents are entirely fraudulent, created without any official authorization, and hold no legal validity whatsoever.

In an official statement, the agency clarified: “Neither the FIUTT, the CBTT nor the FIB issues identification cards of this nature. This so-called identification card is 100% fake, unapproved and invalid for any official purpose.” The unit further stressed that any person presenting these counterfeit credentials has no legal authority to carry out official business, launch formal enquiries, or act on behalf of any of the three agencies named on the cards.

As an additional critical reminder to the public, the FIUTT noted that the agency itself never charges service fees or requests any form of payment from individual members of the public or private businesses as part of its regular regulatory and investigative operations. Any demand for payment coming from an individual claiming to represent the unit is an immediate red flag for fraudulent activity.

To protect residents from falling victim to this scam, the FIUTT is urging all members of the public to exercise extreme caution and avoid sharing any money, sensitive personal information, or confidential financial details with anyone who presents these counterfeit identification cards.

For anyone who encounters individuals using these fake IDs or spots the counterfeit cards themselves, the FIUTT has advised that an immediate report should be filed to any of the three relevant official bodies: the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service, the FIUTT headquarters, or the Central Bank of Trinidad and Tobago. The agency has also encouraged all citizens to proactively verify the legitimacy of any person or program that claims connection to the FIUTT, CBTT, or FIB by reaching out directly through verified official communication channels, rather than trusting credentials presented by unknown individuals.

A death investigation is currently underway following the passing of a 26-year-old female employee assigned to Trinidad’s Police Administration Building, law enforcement officials have confirmed. The victim has been formally identified as Aquilah Rebekah Henry, a resident of Manraj Drive on Oudan Road in El Socorro. Henry held the position of Clerk II at the Port of Spain-based Police Administration Building, according to official police records.

First reports of the incident originated from Henry’s home, where uniformed officers were dispatched to respond just after 6:30 p.m. local time on Friday. Acting Inspector Murray and Acting Corporal Legendre were the lead investigating officers to arrive at the residential property, where they encountered already on-scene first responders including Police Constables Jaggernath and Meade, alongside a team from Emergency Health Services.

Upon entering the home, investigators located Henry unresponsive in an interior bedroom. In a statement to law enforcement, Henry’s 57-year-old father, who works as a professional chauffeur, shared that he last saw his daughter alive at roughly 8 a.m. the same day. When he returned to check on her at approximately 6 p.m., he found her in an unresponsive state and immediately placed a call to emergency authorities to request assistance.

A district medical officer attended the scene shortly after first responders arrived, and officially pronounced Henry dead at the residence. To advance the ongoing investigation, a court-ordered post-mortem examination has been scheduled to determine the exact cause of Henry’s death, a standard step in suspicious or unexplained death cases in the jurisdiction.

A 52-year-old Unemployment Relief Programme worker from Tobago has died after collapsing outside his Pleasant Prospect home, with his grieving widow claiming the tragedy could have been avoided if emergency medical services had provided an ambulance when she first called for help.

Patsy King-Roach, the man’s wife, spoke exclusively to the Express on Wednesday, sharing the harrowing details of the incident that unfolded on Tuesday shortly before 7 p.m. According to King-Roach, her husband Densil had just finished helping deliver a water shipment to their property when he suddenly fell to the ground near their water storage tank. When she reached him after rushing down her home’s steps, he had already stopped responding to her calls and questions.

Trapped with an unresponsive husband, King-Roach cried out for assistance from nearby family members. Her uncle and two other relatives quickly arrived on scene to help, but none of the small group were able to lift Densil or revive him. The family immediately began placing urgent calls for an ambulance, only to receive the devastating news that no emergency vehicle was available to dispatch to their location. Their next call to the local Fire Service yielded the same result: no ambulance was on standby to respond. Desperate, the family contacted police, who agreed to coordinate with the island’s Emergency Health Services (EHS) to secure transport.

By the time an ambulance finally arrived at the King-Roach home, more than 30 minutes had passed. When medics arrived, they confirmed Densil had already passed away. A local district medical officer has since listed his cause of death as a suspected heart attack. King-Roach remains convinced that even a small reduction in response time could have saved her husband’s life. “If they had come there on time, the time when we call even self if they had come ten minutes, five minutes, he would have been alive…even though he was not talking he would have been stable, he would have been alive,” she said.

The loss has left the family shattered: the couple’s seven-year-old son continues to repeatedly ask for his father, and King-Roach says the traumatic circumstances of her husband’s death will stay with her forever. In response to the public allegations, the Emergency Health Services has launched a formal internal investigation to determine why no ambulance was available to respond to the family’s urgent request on Tuesday evening.

A fatal traffic collision in central Trinidad has claimed the life of a 35-year-old Venezuelan migrant, reigniting longstanding debates over road safety regulations for migrant communities and barriers to legal driving privileges in Trinidad and Tobago.

Rusimine Riaz, a resident of Cunupia’s Mon Plaisir Road, was struck by a passenger vehicle while traveling home on an unregistered electric scooter in the early hours of Monday. The incident unfolded just after 2 a.m. near the Jerningham Road junction, as Riaz made her way back to her apartment following a completed overnight shift at a food cart located on Rodney Road in Endeavour.

Riaz sustained catastrophic injuries to her head and spinal column in the crash, and was rushed to the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex in Mt Hope for emergency care. Despite medical intervention, she succumbed to her injuries on Tuesday night.

Law enforcement officials confirmed that the driver of the white Nissan Wingroad that hit Riaz remained at the crash site rather than fleeing. When responding officers asked if he had been drinking alcohol prior to driving, the driver openly admitted to having consumed alcohol. A subsequent breathalyser test confirmed his blood alcohol content exceeded the country’s legal limit, and he was taken into custody at the scene immediately.

Police also highlighted a key detail of the incident: Riaz was operating an unlicensed electric scooter, a violation of local road traffic regulations. In the wake of the crash, officials reminded all road users of the requirement to comply with existing motor vehicle laws to avoid similar tragedies.

The tragedy has prompted a leading migrant advocacy organization to reissue a years-long call for policy change, while also urging migrant communities to prioritize legal compliance. Angie Ramnarine, head of the La Romaine Migrant Support (LARMS) — an organization that has supported Trinidad and Tobago’s migrant population since 2018 through migrant children education programming and employment support — spoke out about the crash Tuesday.

Ramnarine extended her deepest condolences to Riaz and her grieving family, noting that the tragedy was a preventable outcome that grew out of overlapping regulatory barriers and unmet need for accessible transportation. She explained that when the ban on unregistered scooter use was first announced, many migrants had already purchased the affordable vehicles, leaving them with few options other than to continue using them illegally or abandon the scooters entirely.

“I think when it was announced that they could not ride these electric scooters, a lot of people had bought and then had to either sell them over or chuck them in. So, just like so many of them drive without licences, I knew the same thing was going to happen with the scooters,” Ramnarine said in a telephone interview.

Ramnarine stressed that regardless of systemic barriers, all people using the country’s roads are required to adhere to local laws. “People have to obey the law as well. As they say, ignorance of the law is no excuse,” she added.

She acknowledged that for many low-income migrants, electric scooters fill a critical gap as the most affordable form of personal transportation, but emphasized that safety and legal compliance must remain top priorities. “It is an unfortunate situation where a migrant was negatively impacted, even as she was illegally using a scooter,” Ramnarine said.

Trinidad and Tobago’s Ministry of Transport and Civil Aviation already laid out the legal framework for electric scooter use in a March 17 public notice. The ministry confirmed that operating unregistered two-wheeled vehicles including electric scooters on public roads without a valid driver’s permit is a criminal offense under the country’s Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act. “Persons found in contravention of the relevant provisions of the Motor Vehicles and Road Traffic Act will be subject to enforcement action in accordance with the law,” the release stated.

Against this regulatory backdrop, Ramnarine renewed her organization’s appeal for the Trinidad and Tobago government to revise existing laws that bar most migrants from obtaining official driver’s licenses. LARMS has pushed for this policy change for years, she noted, arguing that expanding access to legal licensing would improve road safety for all users by bringing more migrant road users into compliance with the law.

“We have been advocating for that for some time now. We have made several calls for the Government to soften the laws for migrants to acquire a Trinidad and Tobago driver’s licence,” Ramnarine said.

The small, tight-knit communities of southern Trinidad and Tobago are grappling with unspeakable grief and shock after the body of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne, who had been reported missing just hours earlier, was recovered early yesterday morning. The discovery was made around 7:30 a.m. alongside an oil pipeline located on Carapal Road in Erin, marking a tragic end to a frantic search that had mobilized local authorities and volunteer groups across the region.

La Brea Member of Parliament Clyde Elder, a native of Carapal Road, was on site when the child’s remains were found. Accompanied by Arlene Ramdeo, the local government councillor for Erin, Elder later traveled to the Layne family’s home on Los Iros Beach Road to offer formal condolences to Mercedez’s mother, Annarese Layne, who is now facing the unthinkable loss of a child who had barely begun her life.

In comments to reporters, Elder described the killing as a shocking, heart-wrenching and gruesome act that has left the entire interconnected community of Los Iros, Carapal and Erin reeling. “This has left us all in a state of disbelief,” Elder said. “Right now, everyone in the area is holding out hope that justice will be served for Mercedez.”

Elder praised the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) for their rapid response to the missing person report, noting that investigators have already taken a 24-year-old suspect from Palo Seco into custody in connection with the murder. He expressed confidence that law enforcement would move quickly to wrap up the investigation and hold the perpetrator accountable.

Elder added that the entire national government stands ready to support the grieving family, saying: “This is something that will rock our Prime Minister to her core, as she has always been a staunch advocate for children’s safety and well-being. As the local MP, I am committed to providing every possible resource and support to the Layne family right now, and the government will stand with them through this process.”

Opposition Leader Pennelope Beckles also released a public statement yesterday, extending her deepest condolences to the Layne family and calling for urgent systemic action to prevent similar tragedies in the future. Beckles emphasized that the brutal, tragic cutting short of Mercedez’s young life has left the entire nation in mourning.

“It is with profound sorrow and a deeply heavy heart that I offer my sincerest condolences to the family of 12-year-old Mercedez Layne, whose life was so brutally and tragically taken. This devastating news of her death has shocked and saddened the entire country,” Beckles said in her social media statement.

She also extended public recognition to the teams that participated in the search for Mercedez, commending the TTPS, the Hunters Search and Rescue Team, civilian volunteers and concerned local residents for their tireless work in the hours after the girl was reported missing. “Their commitment and dedication during a time of great uncertainty deserve our highest commendation,” she added.

Beckles argued that the tragedy demands urgent national reflection and action, noting an apparent uptick in missing and abducted child cases across the country in recent months. “No parent, grandparent or family should ever have to endure the pain of losing a child in such tragic circumstances. The loss of a young life touches the conscience of the entire nation and reminds us of our collective responsibility to protect our children,” she said.

While Beckles affirmed that the public must allow police to conduct a full, unimpeded investigation to ensure justice is delivered through due process, she said the case makes clear that the State must move quickly to strengthen the nation’s child protection framework, upgrade public safety infrastructure, and increase public awareness around child safety. She also urged all families across the country to remain vigilant, maintain close awareness of their children’s activities and whereabouts, and prioritize proactive safety measures.

“As a nation, we mourn with Mercedez’s family. Let us stand together in support of them, assist law enforcement in any way possible, and remain united in our determination to ensure that those responsible are brought to justice,” Beckles concluded.

Nearly seven months after two-year-old Angelo Tobias-Plaza disappeared from his Goodwood, Tobago home, law enforcement officials have moved to correct public misinformation about the status of efforts to recover the toddler’s remains. Acting Commissioner of Police Rishi Singh emphasized that while the initial large-scale multi-agency search operation has concluded, targeted searches will be launched immediately any time new credible information about the child’s body comes into the force. “Claims that the search has been permanently called off are simply not factual,” Singh confirmed in an official statement.

The toddler was first reported missing from his Cambridge Trace residence on the night of May 11 this year, sparking one of the largest search operations in recent Tobago history. Law enforcement, emergency response agencies, and volunteer rescue groups mobilized resources across land, sea, and air to locate the child, with participation from the Tobago Police Division, the Trinidad and Tobago Fire Service, the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management, the Coast Guard, the Child Protection Unit, the Homicide Bureau, the Tobago Emergency Management Agency, and both regional Hunters Search and Rescue Team branches. On May 25, Angelo’s 24-year-old stepfather, Shannon Miller, was taken into custody and arraigned at a Scarborough court on a charge of murder. He is next scheduled to appear for a court hearing on November 30.

In the wake of Miller’s arrest and the pause in large-scale search efforts, Angelo’s grieving family has begun making arrangements for a memorial service, held to honor the toddler’s memory with his body still unrecovered. Kalifah Tobias, cousin of Angelo’s mother, confirmed that event planning is well underway, though organizers have not yet locked in a final date for the service. Tobias himself was detained by investigators in the early stages of the probe, but he was ultimately released following guidance from the Director of Public Prosecutions.

Speaking on behalf of the entire family, Tobias shared that Angelo’s young mother has struggled immensely to cope with the loss and uncertainty of the situation. Closely supported by extended family members who have rallied around her to provide emotional and practical assistance through this devastating ordeal, she has stepped back from public life: she deactivated her Facebook account not long after the case began, and has not returned to her Cambridge Trace home since Tobias was released from police custody.

The investigation’s progress and handling have already drawn public criticism from top regional leaders. Two weeks ago, Chief Secretary of the Tobago House of Assembly (THA) Farley Augustine told reporters he was deeply dissatisfied with the police investigation into Angelo’s disappearance and murder, stating that the service needed to lift its performance in high-profile missing person and homicide cases. During a plenary sitting of the THA, Augustine added that the regional assembly is prepared to offer specialized training to Tobago-based police officers to improve response outcomes for similar cases in the future.