Trinidadian prison officials concerned at high rate of drone drop offs into prison areas

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, CMC – The acting Commissioner of Prisons, Hayden Forde, Monday said that drone drop offs were contributing significantly to contraband reaching prison walls, and is also blaming some prison officials for being part of the criminal activities.

Forde, speaking on a television programme, said the use of the devices had become a major challenge even as the authorities attempt to intercept them and that something needs to be done urgently.

“The greatest challenge that we face on a daily basis would be drone flights. Drone flights take place every single day."

“So, the criminal realise that that’s a weak spot and they are actually using that to their advantage. Despite that we have officers who are intercepting some of those drops (and) they have been able to curtail some of the contraband they are trying to get into our prison system, but the vast majority, obviously based on the flight patterns…we have not been able to intercept.

The Acting Prison Commissioner said that between April and October this year, there have been more than 600 drone drops with the most popular spot being at the Maximum Security Prison at Arouca.

“From April 4, 2025 to October 4, we have had at least 626 sighting of drones coming into our air space. The vast majority of those flights are at the Maximum Security Prison because our greatest population condensed at the Maximum Security Prison.

“The greatest amount of remanded inmates are at the Maximum Security Prison. We have had flights at Port of Spain Prison…but the vast majority have been at the Maximum Security Prison”.

Forde told television viewers that the Prison Service is lacking the technology and equipment to deal with the issue and that some of his officers are collecting the illegal items and that these rogue officers can only be described as “gang members” and must be weeded out of the service.

“We have several rogue officers who are operating in our system. Despite efforts to weed them out, they are still in our system,” he said, adding “They are complicit and I am not going to hide that at all and we have individuals at the Maximum Security Prison who it is reported that if a package is dropped in the yard will allow persons to go and retrieve it.

“We have had those reports. So officers are involved in that aspect of the trafficking and as far as I am concerned they are gang members, they are part of a criminal network,” Forde said, warning of the consequences to society and the prison service as a result of such activities.

Last Friday, police and prison officers arrested two people, including a 13-year-old boy during a joint operation.

The police said that the two tried to fly a drone laden with marijuana, cigarettes, wrapping paper and cellphones into the Maximum Security Prison.

Forde said that talks are ongoing with Minister of Homeland Security, Roger Alexander, on what measures could be taken to counteract drone smuggling.

“What is really needed are anti-drone devices that are in a fixed place, but can cover a certain radius and any drone which comes into that place, the device can detect it, capture it, defuse it, it can send it back to the operator where the police can follow the drone and make an arrest if possible.

So having the net is one thing, which is good, but it requires a certain level of dexterity from the pilot, but if you have something fixed that means you can deal with drones at any time of the day.”

Forde said that he is particularly concerned about the age of the suspect held in the most recent incident, noting that it was an example of criminals recruiting and including younger persons in their activities.

“It seems as though they (criminals) are training people to get involved in criminal activities and continue on that line. That is alarming to us as a society, because basically what they’re doing is succession planning, so it means that the criminal elements are ensuring that crime is not abated in this country and young people whose minds are bent easily, they are using these people and recruiting them to continue their nefarious activities.”

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