The Trinidad and Tobago Government is currently engaged in a rigorous search for missing “packages of interest” believed to contain illegal weapons. These packages disappeared from a transit shed at Customs, prompting significant concern from the authorities.
Finance Minister Colm Imbert revealed this situation in the Senate while addressing questions about the Customs and Excise Division’s preparedness for the Christmas season. Despite extended working hours and additional staff deployment by Customs to facilitate the clearance of goods, challenges persist due to limited space for examining goods at private transit sheds.
Imbert highlighted the scale of the challenge, citing the high volume of packages expected during the holiday season, with November alone seeing over 167,000 packages. He pointed out particular issues with one transit shed, which was shut down after a security breach. In this incident, unknown individuals broke in and tampered with packages, likely removing illegal items such as guns and ammunition.
The situation was exacerbated by the failure of the shed’s security systems, leaving the authorities initially unaware of the break-in and theft. This incident underscores the challenges faced by Customs in managing the high volume of packages and maintaining security, particularly during peak periods like the holiday season.
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