They masquerade as fishermen
Fishermen at Cedros and Icacos claim drug dealers masquerading as fishermen are making life difficult for them. They are calling on the Government for protection.
The fishermen, who spoke to the T&T Guardian on condition of anonymity, said this was what might have led to seven of them being held while fishing at Soledado Rock and thrown into a Venezuelan jail two weeks ago.
The men, including brothers Sanjay, Rajesh and Jagdeo Mahase, appeared before a Venezuelan magistrate and were released last weekend, after the intervention of Foreign Affairs Minister Dr Suruj Rambachan. They claim they were fishing in local waters and did nothing wrong.
Rambachan said T&T was holding talks with the Venezuelan Embassy to resolve the outstanding fishing treaty between the two countries. At the beachfront in Fullerton on Monday, a fisherman, who asked not to be identified, declared: Is those drug men who have this going on in Cedros Is those drug men who have this going on in CedrosThe drug men paying them in US dollars..
I dont want to mess up myself in this big bacchanal, because they would kill me, but we need some protection from the StateWe are at risk every time we go out there to make an honest living, he said. Fisherman Berger Sadoo, who said he narrowly escaped arrest, recalled: I had to run for my lifeShots were being fired at me, but I did not stop, I kept running on one engine.
Jagdeo Mahase, 56, said the incident left him scared to go back to sea.
But that is how I make my livingI dont do drugs, all I do is fish, he said. Jagdeo, who faced similar challenges before, claims this time he was afraid. I was frightened for my lifeI dont know what they wanted from me, he added. He said when he got back home on Saturday, the first thing he did was drink a cup of coffee and then went by the bar and drink two beers. I goodI happy to be home, he said.
Sanjay was reluctant to speak about his harrowing experience, and continued to thank God for rescuing himHe recalled that ten days ago, seven men, including his brothers, were in two boats about 20 minutes away from Cedros fishing in local waters, when at around 11.30 am, three Spanish- speaking men on board a vessel, ordered them to cut their anchor. Sanjay, who has been fishing for 15 years, said this was his first such experience. He said at first they were treated like common criminals.
He thanked Ordell Barman, consular officer at the Trinidad and Tobago Embassy, Caracas, for ensuring they received proper treatment, food, and water. If not for him, I dont know what would have happened to us, Sanjay said.
Source: The Guardian