Ten days after businessman and former state of emergency (SoE) detainee Danny Guerra was killed in Sangre Grande, his quarry supervisor has been shot dead at a resort in Matura.
He was identified as Rondell Adolphus, also known as “Patch” or “Ponkie”, of Immortelle Crescent, North Eastern Settlement, Sangre Grande.
He had been previously detained during investigations into an alleged plot to assassinate a sitting Government minister.
Ambushed: Danny Guerra
Both Guerra and Adolphus had been linked to threats against Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge, police said.
Adolphus, 34, checked into a cabin at the Trini River Lime Resort alone, around 1 a.m., on Monday. He was later joined by a woman.
The woman told police Adolphus left the cabin to get ice from a nearby icemaker.
She then heard several gunshots. She found Adolphus lying on his back in a pool of blood. He had been shot multiple times.
The police and paramedics were notified, but Adolphus died before their arrival.
Officers of the Matura Police Station were first on the scene.
Crime scene personnel processed the area and recovered ten spent .223 shell casings, one live .223 round, and five spent 9mm shell casings.
Insp Callender, homicide officers PC Rambhajan and PC John, and other officers, including WPC Derrell, WPC John, PC Nanhoo, PC Seenath, PC James, PC Ramphall and PC Basseano, attended the scene.
PC Rambhajan is continuing enquiries.
Known to police
Police said Adolphus worked for Guerra at his quarry.
However, they would not say if the two incidents were linked.
They told the Express all leads would be pursued.
They noted that Guerra’s relatives and several people close to him had been threatened since his killing.
A number of Guerra’s relatives did not attend his funeral on March 19 out of concern for their safety.
Investigators also noted that Adolphus was “known to police”, and he had been held under a Preventive Detention Order last November.
That order identified Adolphus as a member of an Organised Crime Group within the legal definition of the Anti-Gang Act, 2021, which was involved in trafficking of illegal arms, money laundering and illegal quarrying.
It also claimed the gang had access to a cache of high-powered firearms and had been linked to a plan to kill a minister of Government, though the order never named who it was.
“The detainee and others intend to imminently execute the assassination of a Government Minister and to escalate attacks against rival gangs in public spaces using high-powered firearms.
“The detention of this individual is therefore necessary to disrupt the group’s operational planning and to prevent further acts of violence that pose a clear and present threat to public safety,” the order stated.
Last November, while the previous SoE was in effect, Guerra was detained after intelligence officials identified him as being involved in an alleged plot to kill Sturge. This prompted increased security measures for the minister and his family.
At the time, authorities indicated the threat was tied to illegal quarrying activities and political interference, describing it as both serious and immediate.
On August 9, during a visit to Matura, members of Sturge’s security team drew their firearms when a white Mazda 3 with dark-tinted windows and four occupants drove towards the minister’s vehicle. The vehicle sped off after the officers intervened.
In another incident on July 29, individuals hiding in nearby bushes in Wallerfield threw stones at Sturge’s convoy, shattering the windshield of an SUV. Two privately owned vehicles were also damaged.
After Guerra’s release from detention in January, Sturge maintained that he did not fear for his safety.
On March 13, Guerra, 50, was at his business, DG Homes, corner of Guy Trace and North Oropouche Road, Sangre Grande, and was preparing to leave.
As he entered his black Toyota Hilux, two masked men exited a white Nissan Tiida that had pulled alongside Guerra’s vehicle. The men opened fire on the vehicle before returning to the car and fleeing east along Oropouche Road.
Guerra sustained multiple injuries and was taken to the Sangre Grande Hospital by a motorist. He was pronounced dead at the hospital.
Speaking with the media earlier this month, Minister of Homeland Security Roger Alexander urged members of the public to avoid spreading unverified theories about the killing, saying that speculation could undermine investigative efforts.
He said police would rely on verifiable information and evidence to determine the circumstances surrounding the incident, and he appealed to anyone with credible information to contact homicide detectives.
Cpl Ali of the Homicide Bureau of Investigations, Region 2, is continuing enquiries into Guerra’s death.
Alexander Bruzual
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