Three accused of multiple extortion cases bailed in Trinidad court

Trinidad and Tobago: The three male suspects were booked by the police department of Trinidad and Tobago for the offense of extortion and were presented in court on September 2. The extortion was reported in the North Central and Central Divisions of Trinidad last week.

The bail application of the accused men was accepted by the judge after the hearing The three suspects were arrested by the designated police team in the case on Wednesday, 28 August. The action was taken based on the multiple complaints filed to the authorities.

The three suspects are mentioned in the police reports with their identities. The accused are, a 39-year-old man named Richard Tinto, a 33-year-old man named Jeffery Hernandez, and a 26-year-old man named Yadave Maraj.

Richard Tinto is disclosed to be a resident of Santa Cruz, Trinidad, who was laid with five counts of charges, including extortion. The charges on him also included the demand for money by menace and possession of cocaine for trafficking.

Jeffery Hernandez is a resident of Maracas in St Joseph who was laid with two counts of charges for demand for money by menace. Yadave Maraj was also charged with possession of cocaine for trafficking, who is a resident of Valsayn.

The information on the extortion case and bail of the suspects was shared by the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service. The authority mentioned that the men were arrested after round-the-clock surveillance and weeks of meticulous investigations.

Reportedly, the result was achieved on the basis of intelligence-based probing of the matter. It is highlighted that the men were found involved in a string of serious crimes that were recorded in the different localities of the North Central and Central Divisions.

The suspects were arrested on the same day by the police department from their respective homes under a cross-division operation. The accused besieged the business communities of the region for a long time and allegedly collected 200,000 dollars in extortion.

The police department stated, “This operation highlights the unwavering dedication, expertise, and collaborative efforts of our officers, who consistently uphold their duty to protect and serve the public and the various stakeholders in our community.”

The operation of the Trinidad extortion case was executed by officers of the North Central Division and Central Division. The mission was conducted under the supervision of Senior Superintendent Richard Smith along with Senior Superintendent Simon.

Superintendent Gyan and ASP Singh were also part of the operation. The case was also joined by Sergeant Cielto and other officers of the Central Division Gang Unit and the Cyber and Social Media Unit. Tinto, Hernandez, and Maraj were granted bail in court with amounts of 400,000 dollars, 200,000 dollars, and 8,000 dollars as surety, respectively.