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GREATER Chaguanas Chamber of Commerce president Baldath Maharaj says steps should be taken to curb the influence of narco trafficking and organised crime in the region.

He made the comment on August 25, in response to a statement issued by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar on August 23 in support of a US naval deployment in the southern Caribbean Sea, outside of Venezuela’s territorial waters, reportedly to counter activities of drug cartels.

Maharaj said, “These criminal networks have, over the years, created serious challenges for small states like ours by fuelling violence, undermining institutions, and damaging the reputation of our economies.” He added the scale of resources of the cartels far exceeded the capacity of many Caribbean governments to deal with them.