Shurandy Tyson (l) and Urvin Nuto Wawoe (r)
WILLEMSTAD - According to Insight Crime, the future of the No Limit Soldiers (NLS) criminal organization is uncertain following the arrests of its top leaders. The crime analysis site published a special report on the international branch of the Koraal Specht gang.
The No Limit Soldiers, originally a local neighborhood gang, have seen their prospects diminish significantly after a series of arrests of their main figures. The organization, which evolved in the early 2000s into a network for cocaine smuggling to Europe, has been severely weakened by recent legal actions in Curaçao, the Netherlands, the Dominican Republic, Dubai, and other countries.
The NLS was first documented in a 2009 study, tracing its origins to a small youth group in Curaçao. The gang quickly expanded its operations to become a significant player in the cocaine trade, beginning smuggling activities to the Netherlands in 2012, partly by bribing airport personnel. These illicit activities, along with several murders and public acts of violence, drew intense scrutiny from regional authorities.
Increased Surveillance Post-Assassinations
On May 5, 2013, the assassination of Curaçaoan politician Helmin Wiels by NLS members, although carried out without approval from the gang's leadership, marked a turning point. This, combined with the 2014 murders of a rival gang leader and his cousin, heightened law enforcement attention. Under this pressure, many NLS leaders fled Curaçao, relocating to other parts of the region.
Leadership and Expansion
Shurendy Quant, also known as "Tyson," and Urvin Wawoe, alias "Nuto," were instrumental in transforming NLS from a local youth gang into an international drug trafficking network. Quant leveraged his Caribbean connections to smuggle drugs into Europe.
Despite his arrests in 2013 and 2020, Quant remained a key figure in the international drug trade. His second-in-command, Urvin Wawoe, shifted NLS activities to Sint Maarten and later to the Dominican Republic. There, he continued participating in drug trafficking and other criminal enterprises until his extradition to the Netherlands in 2024.
NLS members operate in countries like Colombia, Brazil, Panama, Jamaica, and Sint Maarten. The group has collaborated with major South American crime organizations and expanded its network to Europe, establishing ties with groups like the Italian 'Ndrangheta and Brazil's Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC).
Alliances and Rivals
Documents from the Colombian Public Prosecutor's Office reveal close connections between NLS and the Gaitanistas, a powerful Colombian criminal group. Additionally, NLS member Anthony Rampersaud Bhajan maintained ties with Otoniel, the leader of the AGC in Colombia. Bhajan was sentenced to five years in prison in Curaçao in February 2024 for cocaine trafficking.
Another NLS ally, Chendal Wilfrido Rosa, acted as a cocaine broker in Brazil, collaborating with both the 'Ndrangheta and the PCC. In 2022, he was arrested after attempting to bribe an undercover agent to export 1.75 tons of cocaine to Europe.
Despite the success of its international drug trade operations, the recent arrests of key figures have dealt a heavy blow to NLS. Legal proceedings and detentions in multiple countries have significantly weakened the gang's leadership, casting doubt on the organization's future, as reported by Insight Crime.