Trinidad and Tobago’s Defence Minister Wayne Sturge has called on the United States to provide additional military assets to help the country confront drug cartels, warning that the nation’s borders are “critically exposed.”
Speaking yesterday at the Americas Counter Cartel Conference in Florida, Sturge said Trinidad and Tobago is directly confronting narco-trafficking networks operating across the Caribbean and needs greater support to disrupt them.
“We are not observers in this fight. We are on the frontline with you,” Sturge said during the conference hosted by US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at United States Southern Command in Miami.
Sturge said Trinidad and Tobago’s geographic position — once seen as an advantage linking South America and the Caribbean — has increasingly made it vulnerable to drug trafficking, firearms smuggling and human trafficking networks.
“For many years Trinidad and Tobago’s geopolitical position was a blessing as a gateway connecting South America to the Caribbean and beyond. But that blessing has become a burden,” he said.
The defence minister noted that while Trinidad and Tobago has highly trained security personnel and remains committed to confronting organised crime, economic constraints have limited its ability to maintain strong border security.
“If we are to deliver effectively as the security anchor in the southern Caribbean, we require assets that would equip us with the capability to disrupt the cartels in the transshipment corridors,” he said.
Sturge did not specify what equipment or resources the government is seeking, but said enhanced maritime surveillance and operational capabilities would help authorities intercept drug shipments moving north toward the United States.
The conference took place ahead of the Shield of the Americas Summit, hosted by US President Donald Trump, which will bring together several regional leaders, including Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar and Guyanese President Irfaan Ali.
During the meeting, participating countries signed a joint security declaration aimed at strengthening coordinated maritime and aerial patrols across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
US officials also signalled a more aggressive stance against drug cartels. Hegseth urged regional partners to intensify their efforts against criminal networks, warning that Washington could act independently if necessary to protect US border security.
Meanwhile, the proposal for deeper security cooperation has drawn mixed reactions in Trinidad and Tobago.
Chairman of the opposition People’s National Movement, Marvin Gonzales, called for greater transparency regarding any new arrangements with the United States, saying the public should understand how such partnerships could affect national sovereignty.
Former police commissioner Gary Griffith, however, said it would be unrealistic for governments to disclose every detail of security agreements, noting that similar cooperation with US agencies has occurred in the past.
Sturge said Trinidad and Tobago remains committed to working with Washington to combat organised crime, noting that thousands of citizens have been killed in violence linked to narco-trafficking networks over the past two decades.
“Every shipment intercepted in our waters is one that would never reach your streets,” he said.
