Camp Cumuto, Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, Missing Ammunition, 5.56 Ammunition, AR-15, Criminal Gangs, Ammunition Cover-up, National Security Council, State of Emergency, Trinidad Crime, Regiment Investigation, Ammunition Theft, Lt Col Dwayne Edwards, Major Vanessa Pierre-Johnson, Lt Col Jermain Roachford, Colonel Keston Charles, Chief of Defence Staff Darryl Daniel, Wayne Sturge, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, New information surrounding the disappearance of close to 28,000 rounds of military-grade 5.56 ammunition from the regiment's Camp Cumuto in February links a senior military officer to the alleged illegal sale of the ammunition to criminal gangs and a move to cover up the crime, according to national security officials.

The officials said the senior officer is also the subject of a "very recent" report submitted by Chief of Defence Staff Air Vice Marshal Darryl Daniel, where attempts were made to inflate a military construction contract so that the officer could benefit for personal favours from the contractor at his home in east Trinidad.

According to military officials, speaking under the condition of strict anonymity because of the sensitivity of the allegations, the missing ammunition was among the factors discussed by the National Security Council in the lead up to the declaration of the state of emergency on July 18.