By Raffique Shah
November 15, 2025
When criminologist Daurius Figueira speaks to us citizens on drug trafficking, murder and other crimes related to them, we’d better listen.
You see, much unlike Donald Trump, the President of the United States of America, who sees the narcotics trade in the world as nothing more than a board game, Daurius knows and has studied the innards of the drug trade. He has witnessed the savagery of the wars by overlords for control of the cocaine market internationally. The Pablo Escobars of Latin America, in the relatively short time that they controlled their base in Central and South America, reduced large Latin American nations to nothing more than a gangster’s paradise—which they fought Washington and the American government with to stamp their control over crime and politics.
These were no ordinary thieves, nor were they political plunderers. Much like Trump, they saw opportunities for riding the waves of violence to their advantage after several short but brutal wars. They eliminated all competition, including their armies and their hired killers. When hostilities ceased and the smoke cleared, Escobar and many of his associates had been killed, many of them as they enjoyed the bittersweet fruits of their plundering lifestyles. As they faced elimination and made way for new talent—which often included top scientists who upgraded their reach into all aspects of their business—they pulled out some surprises.
For example, they pioneered the use and functioning of drones, tweaking them to accommodate their cross-border trafficking, surveillance, and use as weapons in their wars. This dramatic shift in technology rendered the walls of prisons in many countries in the world useless. Criminals were now delivering hot meals and cold bullets. Trump also found himself playing with the toy versions of these powerful weapons that they had used in military misadventures elsewhere in the world. The mafia overlords used sophisticated weapons and machinery to run their empires.
Before the next round gets under way, I wouldn’t be surprised if the drug mafia fires off some powerful rockets that could damage entire villages or fishing ports and depots in response to America’s actions.
The all-too-frequent attacks on Venezuelans will cause President Maduro and his generals to lose their cool. Eventually, they will return fire. Not only that, but they will release sophisticated warheads, perhaps made in China or Hong Kong, that will cause many more deaths in America and its allies’ targets.
Trinidadians who have been waiting for a war can freely jump in to this one armed with fishing hooks and assorted implements, and go full speed ahead. They will be ripped to shreds, of course, but that is “small thing”. The Caribbean will sink into a gayelle, with punters taking bets on our survivability. Then again, our “troops” will likely get their wishes. There is room for everyone in my Father’s cabal.
As I write this column on Saturday morning, I haven’t determined that there will be war between Venezuela and the United States or Venezuela and Trinidad. We are, however, in the firing line, and sooner rather than later, we will have to make that decision to fight.
The warmongers among us are many. They are loud-mouthed; and President Maduro, in a fit of rage, might decide to let his long-time neighbours feel the heat of warfare. I do not wish for that outcome of this scurrilous exchange. There are none so blind as those who do not see the axis of conflict going in place, groove by groove, awaiting only a signal from a person who commands respect or authority in Venezuela.
Nobody likes war. Even PM Kamla Persad-Bissessar—whose words and actions relative to this issue have exposed her to be branded “a latter-day despot”. I have said in this space before, on this issue, that the politicians in the Parliament who were elected by a mandate from electors had agreed to no such thing as a war. Kamla has the power to declare war on any country or any windmill she sees in her “Quixote” disguise. But she must get a mandate from the masses.
I will suggest that she assemble her army of Quixotes and ride off to battle. She will find that hostilities between nations will eventually show the true colours of her Quixotes and, worse, she will find that in the end, not even Jearlean will be standing next to her if she takes this nation to war. Many underpants will be soiled as fear cuts through the façade of loyalty to the lady.
When the bugle is sounded, summoning her army to action, the stench in their armour will increase as palpitations send them scurrying for safety. If nothing else, the stench might be such that it will suffocate either us or them. And, we shall stand in our armour and wonder…