Bhagvad Gita used to smuggle cocaine in Trinidad

By Paras Ramoutar, Port-of-Spain, Nov 6 : The Trinidad and Tobago police have found pages of the Hindu holy book Bhagvad Gita soaked in millions of dollars worth of liquid cocaine in a laboratory in Couva, Central Trinidad.

A Venezuelan national and four citizens of Trinidad and Tobago - two men and two women - were arrested Thursday and investigations are now on into "this innovative way to traffic cocaine", a police official said.

Acting Commissioner of Police James Philbert told a media briefing that it was the first time in his life he had seen "so much liquid cocaine".

Philbert said that while this is not a new phenomenon, the discovery posed "a serious challenge to officers because liquid cocaine was very deceptive since it looked like juice".

He said that he was shocked that pages of the Gita were soaked in cocaine. "...the most obscene thing I came across was a copy of the Bhagvad Gita, the pages torn and soaked in liquid cocaine."

This oil-rich nation continues to be the transhipment point for cocaine coming from South America to the US and Canada.

Special anti-drug officers have been trained both at home and abroad in the government's fight against drugs. The accused are to appear in courts shortly.

Trinidad and Tobago is home to a large Indian diaspora sourced from Uttar Pradesh and Bihar between 1845 and 1917. The immigrants were brought here during the British rule to work on the sugar and cocoa plantations.

--IANS