A High Court Master, Lisa Singh Philip, has dismissed gang membership charges against four men who were associated with an alleged criminal group. This ruling, delivered on Thursday, concludes months of legal proceedings. The charges were born out of a police investigation that started in August 2025 into a speculated criminal network based in Arima. Originally, the men were charged with conspiracy to traffic marijuana.
However, these charges were later replaced with allegations of gang membership. This move by the prosecution was contested vigorously by the defence, who argued that the State lacked sufficient evidence to substantiate the charges and was trying to keep the accused in limbo while the search for evidence continued.
Robert Doodnath, a defence attorney, criticized the prosecution’s approach as akin to ‘putting the cart before the horse’, implying that they were prematurely pursuing charges without the necessary evidential foundation. Master Singh Philip commended the written submissions by the defence, expressing that they covered all points she intended to address in her ruling.
This judgement marks a substantial setback for the prosecution, which had been requesting more time to finalize investigations. Initially, one of the accused was denied bail, whereas the other three were granted $200,000 bail with surety. A warrant is also outstanding for a fifth suspected individual, an expatriate.
Following the ruling, the four accused men were discharged from the charges. They exited the court with a sense of relief and celebration.
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