Two men were denied bail by a Master of the High Court, when they appeared in court this week, jointly charged with Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Trafficking.
Mitra Balchan, 42, of La Brea and Caesar Geraldo Rodriguez Calzadilla, 33, of San Juan, were charged with the offence, when they appeared before Master Ambrose Persadsingh, in the South Criminal Court, on Monday October 6th, 2025.
They were denied bail and the matter adjourned to April 10th, 2026.
Reports indicate that Coast Guard personnel were on patrol in the Gulf of Paria, off Point Fortin, around 2:18am on Friday 12th September, 2025, when they intercepted a vessel, from which three men allegedly jumped overboard.
Two of the men were recovered, and 268 packages containing cannabis with a total weight of 292.68 kilogrammes were allegedly found on the boat.
The men were subsequently charged with the offence following advice received from Acting Director of Public Prosecutions, Sabrina Dougdeen-Jaglal.
Meanwhile, a 40-year-old Caroni man was arrested for Possession of Cannabis for the Purpose of Trafficking, after Task Force officers of the Central Division, conducted an exercise between 3:30pm and 8pm, on Tuesday October 7th, 2025.
Several searches were conducted during the exercise in the Enterprise, Chaguanas, Felicity, Charlieville, Cunupia and Caroni districts.
The male suspect was held with 1.2 kilogrammes of cannabis in his possession by officers.
Investigations are ongoing into the above matter.