New State of Emergency in Trinidad and Tobago Exposes Persistent Threats from Organized Crime Networks

In a troubling development that underscores the persistent challenges governments face worldwide in countering organized crime, Trinidad and Tobago announced a new state of emergency after uncovering a plot by powerful prison gangs to assassinate senior officials and attack state institutions.This is not an isolated incident but part of a disturbing pattern. Last December, the twin-island nation imposed a similar emergency to stem escalating gang violence, yet criminal networks remain resilient, exploiting smuggled cellphones to coordinate encrypted communications across prisons. These gangs’ capacity to plan kidnappings, robberies, and assassinations signals a failure of law enforcement controls that should alarm all...