SHARLENE RAMPERSAD
As police descended on the La Horquetta home of the leader of the Drugs Sou Sou (DSS) group for the second time in as many days yesterday, they were ridiculed by the man’s neighbours.
The officers arrived at the house on Kathleen Warner Drive, Phase One, La Horquetta, around 2 pm – hours after the man and eight others were released, along with over $22 million dollars that had been seized by police on Tuesday.
The administrator of the group was not at the property, having returned and left minutes before. Guardian Media attempted to speak to him at that time but he declined.
When the police arrived, they blocked the street with their vehicles while heavily armed officers stood guard. As they stood in the sweltering heat, residents shouted “Great is the DSS!” several times at them from their vantage points along the street.
After an hour and a half, the officers left empty-handed, without searching the building or meeting the DSS administrator.
As the police vehicles drove off, there were shouts of “Go from here!” and “Great is the DSS!” from the onlookers.
Attorney for the group’s administrator, Rosario Sookdeo, told Guardian Media that the police claimed to have a search warrant for the premises. But Sookdeo said although he asked to see the warrant, the police were not cooperative.
He said Sophia Chote SC was the lead attorney for the group and said while he could not comment on the ongoing investigation, his clients were not in a position to be worried.
Speaking on the condition of anonymity, several people who came out to observe the police action told Guardian Media they viewed it as victimisation and discrimination against the man.
“We are trying to help ourselves. We not asking nobody for nothing, La Horquetta have no crime, no guns, no drugs but they will fight we down every time we try to elevate,” one man said.
Another said the administrator of DSS was helping the entire community.
“Some people don’t have money to put in a hand, he putting it in for them and taking a small cut and giving them the rest. Real people who didn’t have nothing could now see their way a little bit,” he said.
Several remarked on the cost of the police action in the community for a second straight day.
“How much it costing the State for them to be out here, with all them guns and vehicles, standing up in the road and doing nothing? They wasting time and money being here, like somebody trying to make up overtime,” one woman said.