marks the second state of emergency declared in the twin-island republic in recent months. December 2024, similar measures were implemented due to rising gang violence, remaining in effect until mid-April.

Police said smuggled cell phones allowed those involved in the plot to exchange encrypted messages. Months of intelligence gathering led investigators to believe the targets included senior police officers, members of the judiciary, and employees of the state prosecution office. There were no specific threats to politicians, police added.

“They were planning, actively so, to carry out assassinations, robberies, and kidnappings,” Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro said during a press conference. Authorities described those involved as “a coordinated and highly dangerous criminal network.” Guevarro stated that the intelligence report prompted him to recommend that newly elected Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar declare a state of emergency.

Gang leaders housed at a maximum-security prison in eastern Trinidad — where illegal cell phones and other contraband have long posed a problem — have been relocated to an undisclosed facility, Guevarro said, without providing details.

“We have seen recent acts of kidnapping and homicide perpetrated against our citizens that we have traced back to this organized crime syndicate,” Guevarro added. Under the state of emergency, police are authorized to conduct searches and make arrests without a warrant. No curfew has been imposed at this time.

Last year, the country of just over 1.4 million people recorded 624 homicides — its deadliest year on record, according to police data. As of July 17, police said the number of killings this year stood at 214, a decline compared to 325 killings during the same period last year. (Jamaica Gleaner)