A police officer was arrested and formally charged with misbehaviour in public office after an internal investigation into discrepancies in narcotics exhibits at the Barataria Police Station, the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) confirmed on 4 October 2025.[1] The officer, PC Kerdell Bernard Castillo, appeared before Master Adia Mohamed at the Port-of-Spain Criminal Court on 6 October 2025.[2] Castillo, a constable with five years’ service, was granted $250,000 bail with a surety on the charge of misbehaviour in public office arising from the alleged larceny of marijuana court exhibits and tampering with the items at the Barataria Police Station in September.[2] Bail conditions require him to reside at his current home address unless the court approves a formal variation, and to immediately surrender his passport to the Registrar of the High Court.[2]

The charge stems from an incident reported on 15 September, when officers at the station discovered that several exhibits, including 27 black plastic packages of marijuana, had been removed and replaced with Styrofoam, red bricks and grass.[2] The exhibits had been lodged at the station on 6 September as part of an active High Court matter and secured in the station’s strong room.[2] Investigations revealed that between 11 and 14 September the drugs were allegedly accessed in the strong room on multiple occasions and portions of the exhibits removed.[2] Police said the missing drugs were worth more than $1 million.[2]

The exhibits came from an anti-narcotics operation in the Macoya Industrial Area led by the DCP Operations Unit, which resulted in the arrest of three people and the seizure of 89 packets of suspected cannabis.[1] That bust took place on 6 September, and police estimated the street value of the narcotics at $1.3 million.[3] The three men arrested in that operation were held for possession of cannabis for trafficking.[2] The Professional Standards Bureau’s review of the evidence reportedly revealed a deliberate attempt to tamper with the narcotics exhibits, leading to the officer’s identification and arrest.[1]

Commissioner of Police Allister Guevarro said the TTPS remained committed to rooting out corruption within its ranks.[1] “Corruption will find no shelter in this organisation,” Guevarro said.[1] He told officers that if they are not proud of the badge they wear, they should hand it in before it is taken away from them.[1]