Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has appealed to Trinidad and Tobago’s fisherfolk to remain within the country’s territorial waters amid rising regional tension following recent United States military strikes against suspected drug traffickers in international waters.

Speaking to reporters in Tobago at the end of a working visit on Tuesday, Persad-Bissessar rejected international media suggestions that the twin-island nation was a “country of fishermen” and dismissed claims that its nationals were being deliberately targeted. She insisted that those who ventured too far beyond the national maritime boundary were exposing themselves to unnecessary risk.

“The impression is being made that our fishermen are being bombed out of the sea. What are you doing out there? Stay within Trinidad and Tobago’s waters and you will be safe,” the prime minister said. She emphasised that neither island was under threat and reaffirmed her government’s continued support for the United States’ anti-drug operations in the region.

Her comments follow a series of US airstrikes on vessels in Caribbean and Pacific waters that Washington has described as part of its campaign against narcotics trafficking. The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, has condemned the attacks, calling them a violation of international law and urging an immediate halt. Families of two Trinidad and Tobago nationals have reported their relatives missing and believe they may have been victims of the bombings.

Persad-Bissessar told reporters that the United States’ actions have disrupted the narcotics trade and reduced the flow of illegal drugs into the country. Police Commissioner Allister Guevarro confirmed that local intelligence supports that assessment. Speaking at a news conference in Port of Spain, he said supplies of illicit drugs trafficked from Venezuela and Colombia have fallen sharply.

“When there is a shortage in supply, prices go up. We have seen a marked increase in street prices for narcotics,” Guevarro noted, adding that traffickers are seeking new routes and even turning to domestic marijuana cultivation. He said law enforcement had recently seized more than 268 kilogrammes of Colombian “creepy” marijuana valued at over TT $29 million and a further 201 kilogrammes later in September.

Guevarro said the intensified surveillance has also curbed the entry of other illegal goods into the country.

Meanwhile, Gary Aboud, secretary of the non-governmental organisation Friends and Fishermen of the Sea, said members were heeding Coast Guard warnings not to stray into dangerous waters. “We respect the warning and urge our members to stay close to shore. At sea, anything moving faster than 20 knots can be destroyed in an instant,” he said.

Aboud supported the prime minister’s call for caution but urged the government to invest in radar systems to enhance maritime safety rather than simply limiting the fishermen’s movements. He added that if fishers are unable to work safely offshore, the government should consider compensating them. “Our members are at the bottom of the economic ladder,” he said, “and they should not be forced to choose between safety and survival.”

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