Port of Spain has become the first Shield of the Americas member to formally adopt Washington’s list of “narco-terrorist” organisations. The designation carries no legal licence to kill. But in waters where US missiles have already claimed 234 lives, it may supply something almost as useful: political cover.

KINGSTON,  Jamaica, September 29, 2026- Calvin G. Brown | The applause came from Washington before most Trinidadians had heard what their government had done. On Monday morning, the United States Embassy in Port of Spain announced on social media that Trinidad and Tobago had become the first member of the Shield of the Americas to join Washington in designating 25 criminal organisations as foreign terrorist organisations.