Trinidad and Tobago declares state of emergency as murder rate hits record high with 63 killings
The government of Trinidad and Tobago declared a national state of emergency after the country recorded 63 murders in the first two months of 2026, as gang violence driven by narcotics trafficking reached unprecedented levels.
World — March 8, 2026
The government of Trinidad and Tobago declared a national state of emergency in March 2026 after the twin-island nation recorded 63 murders in the first two months of the year — a rate significantly above the already-elevated levels of recent years that had placed Trinidad among the Caribbean's most violence-affected jurisdictions.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, who had returned to office following elections in January, announced the emergency decree in a televised address, saying that gang violence linked to narcotics trafficking had reached a level that required extraordinary measures. The state of emergency granted security forces expanded powers of arrest and detention.
The killings have been concentrated in the east-west corridor of Trinidad, particularly in areas south of Port of Spain including Laventille, Morvant, and Barataria, where rival gangs linked to Venezuelan and Colombian trafficking networks have been fighting over distribution territory.
The Trinidad and Tobago Police Service deployed additional units alongside the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, conducting cordon and search operations in hotspot communities. The government also announced the creation of a joint inter-agency task force with a dedicated intelligence and prosecution mandate.
Human rights groups expressed concern about the potential for abuses under the expanded powers, pointing to documented excesses during previous states of emergency in 2011 and 2021. The Law Association of Trinidad and Tobago called for robust oversight mechanisms.
Venezuela's instability has been identified by regional security analysts as a principal driver of crime in Trinidad. The country lies just 11 kilometres from the Venezuelan coast, and the collapse of Venezuela's institutions has allowed trafficking networks to establish well-organised routes through Trinidad into the Eastern Caribbean and onward to North America and Europe.
CARICOM, the Caribbean regional body, expressed solidarity with Trinidad and Tobago and said regional governments would enhance intelligence sharing as part of a coordinated response to trafficking-driven violence.
