CoP: Men held at sea were 'fishing for trouble'

Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro - Angelo Marcelle/File photo

Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro says three of five men arrested at sea by Venezuela’s Guardia Nacional on August 15 are TT citizens.

News of the men’s arrest surfaced after a video began circulating on social media showing Venezuelan security forces aboard a vessel intercepted in international waters sometime between August 13 and 14.

The fishing vessel was stopped by the Guardia Nacional approximately 60 nautical miles off Cabo Codera, Venezuela.

While Guevarro did not say why the men were arrested, he said after seeing the video, he was doubtful they were "bona-fide" fishermen .

“All I can say is that I didn't see a fishing rod. Not one. I did not see any fishing nets, and I didn't see even a bucket of bait on that vessel.

“If they were, in fact, fishermen, they had to be fishing for trouble. And they caught it hook, line and handcuffs.”

Guevarro warned people against engaging in activities that affect the country’s image.

“It is always a sad day when the misguided few who are in search of that easy money commit acts which paint our beloved country in a negative light.”

Guevarro called on citizens to do their part in preventing their friends and family from engaging in activities which could land them in trouble with the law in TT or abroad.

“Whilst the TTPS continues to investigate, there is a deafening silence from their relatives and friends. You mean nobody at all missing these fellas (and) made a report to the police.”

Recently, TT and Venezuela governments were in a row over allegations of illegal activity taking place between the borders,

In June, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro complained about paramilitary "terrorists" entering Venezuela from Trinidad.

At a post-cabinet news conference on June 5, Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar said Maduro’s claim could not be substantiated and warned any illegal incursion by any unidentified vessel into TT waters would be met with deadly force by local security forces.

Venezuela’s government issued a statement a day later describing Maduro’s comments as a “legitimate complaint,” adding that Persad-Bissessar’s response raised “serious suspicions of complicity… and compromises the good relations that exist between our countries in fundamental areas.”

Then on August 7, Venezuela’s Justice Minister Diosdado Cabello, while speaking about the whereabouts of two alleged terrorists, reportedly named TT as their possible escape route.

The Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, in a statement on August 8, said Cabello’s comments, are “a cause for great concern.”

It said given the “seriousness of these remarks,” the ministry reached out to TT’s embassy in Caracas to obtain further information and clarification.

Despite the ongoing row, it added, “TT remains committed to maintaining a constructive and respectful relationship with the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, grounded in mutual co-operation, regional stability, and the principles of sovereign equality.”