Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says government’s participation in the Shield of the Americas Summit has secured entry into a hemispheric security alliance aimed at tackling transnational crime.
During the Summit, Trinidad and Tobago joined the Americas Counter Cartel Coalition, an alliance aimed at dismantling drug cartels and organized criminal networks across the Western hemisphere.
Speaking in Parliament on March 13, the Prime Minister said joining the Coalition would strengthen the fight against transnational criminal networks operating in Trinidad and Tobago.
“Our crime crisis cannot be solved in isolation. The dangers posed by illegal drugs, illegal firearms, and organized gangs are not local problems. They are part of a transnational criminal system stretching from South America through the Caribbean into North America,” she said.
“These networks move cocaine, heroin, and synthetic drugs through our waters and ports. In return, illegal firearms and illicit money flow back into our communities. For small island states like Trinidad and Tobago, the consequences are severe.”
According to the Prime Minister, Trinidad and Tobago joined several countries in the alliance, including Guyana, Argentina, Chile, Panama and the Dominican Republic.
She added that closer cooperation with the United States and regional partners will help bolster national security and protect citizens from the growing threat of transnational organised crime.
