Danny Guerra's SoE detention review stalled

News Jada Loutoo 31 Minutes Ago

DETAINED: Quarry operator Danny Guerra who has been detained on a State of Emergecy order. - Lincoln Holder

Businessman Danny Guerra’s challenge of his preventive detention under the state of emergency before the Emergency Review Tribunal has been stalled to give attorneys for the Minister of Homeland Security time to submit written submissions.

Guerra’s review came up for hearing before the review tribunal on December 18, but was adjourned after the minister’s attorneys, led by Anand Ramlogan, SC, asked for time to file written submissions.

Guerra’s lead attorney, Richard Thomas, KC, who leads Nerisa Bala and Emily Rampersad, objected, arguing that the minister did not comply with the practice directions that govern such reviews.

Time was extended for the minister’s submissions to December 23, while Guerra’s attorneys were given the next day to reply. No date was set for the next hearing of the review.

Guerra was arrested on November 20 by the Special Investigations Unit under allegations that he leads an organised crime group involved in arms trafficking, money laundering, and illegal quarrying. A detention order signed by Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander also cited a purported plot to assassinate a government minister.

Thomas was authorised by acting Attorney General Devesh Maharaj to appear in TT for Guerra’s case, according to Legal Notice 459 gazetted on December 17.

He and his son were previously charged on October 11 with unlawful processing of aggregate without a licence from the Ministry of Energy and granted $50,000 bail each by a justice of the peace.

Guerra, manager of D Guerra Ltd and owner of several companies under the D Guerra Group of Companies, his son Garvin Guerra, 28, and 16 others were arrested after a major police operation on October 9. That operation shut down an illegal quarry at Manuel Congo, Guanapo, and resulted in the seizure of a multimillion-dollar processing plant, trucks and other heavy machinery.

They have since appeared in court on those charges. The state of emergency, declared on July 18, was extended for a further three months in October, which is expected to end in January 2026.