Charging that drug trafficking and money laundering were pumping billions into the local construction sector, the US government yesterday again blasted the government here for not succeeding against major traffickers and warned that in some cases drugs were being traded for weapons.
The US also chided the administration for introducing no new drug policy initiative last year and also its failure to implement the ambitious 2005-2009 National Drug Strategy Master Plan that was launched in June 2005.
In the annual State Department International Narcotics Control Strategy Report, Washington said that Guyana is neither an important regional nor an offshore financial centre, nor does it have any free trade zones. However, the scale of money laundering is thought to be large relative to the size of the economy, with some experts estimating that the informal economy is 40 to 60 percent of the size of the formal sector. The US Government said that money laundering has been linked to trafficking in drugs, firearms and persons, as well as to corruption and fraud. It noted that drug trafficking and money laundering appear to be benefiting the Guyanese economy, particularly the construction sector. “Investigating and prosecuting money laundering cases is not a priority for law enforcement. The Government of Guyana (GOG) made no arrests or prosecutions for money laundering in 2006 due to a lack of adequate legislation and resources,” the report stated. The US government also said in the report which was released yesterday that that the country’s Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) remains handicapped by the lack of effective legislation to deal with money laundering, such as the absence of regulations to allow for seizing assets.
This year’s report reiterated that Guyana is a trans-shipment point for cocaine destined for North America, Europe, and the Caribbean. It noted that in 2006, domestic seizures of cocaine were insignificant, adding that the government’s inability to control its borders, a lack of law enforcement presence, and a lack of aircraft and patrol boats allow traffickers to move drug shipments via sea, river, and air with little resistance. The report noted that the Guyana Government is yet to implement the substantive initiatives of its National Drug Strategy Master Plan. The $600M plan was launched in June 2005 and up to now government has not appointed a coordinator neither has a secretariat been set up. Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee told Stabroek News in a recent interview that he was looking at appointing a coordinator by the end of the second quarter of this year. He did admit that some key components of the plan are yet to be implemented, but pointed out that there were some initiatives taken by the administration. The drug plan had made it clear that one of the first things to be done in the implementation of the plan was for a coordinator and a secretariat to be in place.
The US Government said that Guyana is a party to the 1988 UN Convention Against Illicit Traffic in Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (the 1988 UN Drug Convention) but still needs to pass and implement additional legislation to meet its obligations under the convention.
Noting that Guyana is a trans-shipment country for cocaine, the report said that this was not reflected in domestic seizures of the drugs. According to the US there has been no large domestic seizure since a 1998 joint Guyanese/U.S. operation confiscated 3,154 kilograms (kgs) of cocaine from a ship docked in Georgetown.
Several shipments of cocaine originating from Guyana were intercepted in the US, Canada, the UK and Barbados during last year, but officials here have failed to make any significant drug bust, only intercepting persons with small amounts at the airport.
The report noted that Guyana’s vast expanse of unpopulated forest offers cover for drug traffickers. Timber concessions in the remote interior may also allow drug traffickers to establish autonomous outposts beyond the reach of Guyanese law enforcement.
Government had cleared the way for a logging concession to now drug-accused businessman Roger Khan, but after the US named him in its drug report last year the government terminated the arrangement. The US Government said that in response to the controversy surrounding the permit, the government announced it would propose legislation requiring stronger background checks on investors applying for timber concessions. The legislation has not yet been tabled in the National Assembly, the report added.
Weak judiciary
Additionally, the US Government said that Guyana’s counter-narcotics efforts are undermined by the lack of adequate resources for law enforcement, poor coordination among law enforcement agencies, and a weak judicial system. It noted that the Guyanese media regularly report murders, kidnappings, and other violent crimes commonly believed to be linked with narcotics trafficking. According to the report Guyana produces cannabis, but not coca leaf or cocaine and the country is not known to produce, trade, or transit precursor chemicals on a large scale.
In relation to the country’s accomplishments last year, the US Government said that law enforcement agencies seized less than 60 kilogrammes of cocaine with no publicly reported seizures in excess of 10 kgs. “This represents a minuscule portion of the cocaine that the US believes transits Guyana,” the report added.
The report noted that last year businessman Roger Khan was indicted by a federal court in New York for conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States.
Corrupt cops
Moreover, the report noted that Guyana’s counter-narcotics effort suffers from a lack of adequate law enforcement resources, poor inter-agency coordination, and widespread corruption. It said that several agencies share responsibility for counter-narcotics activities: the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) is tasked with conducting enforcement activities mainly at ports of entry; the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Narcotics Branch is the principal element in the police responsible for enforcement of drug laws domestically; and the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard (GDFCG) has the lead for maritime counter-narcotics operations. “There is little productive interaction or intelligence sharing among these organizations, the Joint Intelligence Coordination Center (JICC) is not currently operational,” the US report noted.
It added that last year the Police Narcotics Branch and CANU arrested dozens of drug couriers at Guyana’s international airport en route to the Caribbean, North America, and Europe. However, the arrests were limited to individuals with small amounts of marijuana, crack cocaine or powder cocaine, usually on charges of possession for the purpose of trafficking. “Authorities have not successfully acted against major traffickers and their organizations,” the report declared, adding that the GDFCG conducts patrols with the interceptor boat donated by the US in 2005, but has not yet interdicted any narcotics shipments. It noted that while CANU is responsible for patrolling Guyana’s ports, it has only one team of six officers available to secure all five main transit points. CANU has no officers patrolling the numerous land entry points on the Venezuela, Brazil, and Suriname borders.
The drug report said that there is no evidence that the Government or senior government officials encourage or facilitate the illicit production, processing, shipment or distribution of narcotic or psychotropic drugs or other controlled substances, or the laundering of proceeds from illegal drug transactions. It said that Guyana is a party to the Inter-American Conven-tion Against Corruption (IACAC), but has yet to fully implement its provisions, such as seizure of property obtained through corruption. The report said that news media routinely report on instances of corruption reaching to high levels of government that go uninvestigated and unpunished, but pointed out that Guyana was not a party to the
UN Convention against Corruption.
Transit
According to US law enforcement authorities, Guyanese narcotics traffickers regularly move shipments of cocaine through the country. Authorities noted that in some deals Guyanese traffickers swap weapons for drugs. The report said that cocaine flows through Guyana’s remote, uncontrolled borders and coastline, adding that light aircraft land at numerous isolated airstrips or make airdrops where operatives on the ground retrieve the drugs. Smugglers use small boats and freighters to enter Guyana’s many remote but navigable rivers and smugglers also take direct routes, such as driving or boating across the uncontrolled borders with Brazil, Suriname, and Venezuela.
The report mentioned that inside the country, narcotics are transported to George-town by road, water, or air and then sent on to the Caribbean, North America, or Europe via commercial air carriers or cargo ships. “Go-fast” boats may also carry cocaine from Guyana’s rivers to mother-ships in the Atlantic. It said authorities have arrested drug mules attempting to smuggle small amounts of cocaine on virtually every northbound route out of the international airport.
Additionally, the report said drug traffickers also use cargo ships to export narcotics from Guyana, either directly to North America and Europe, or through intermediate Caribbean ports.
The report pointed out that in July 2006, Spanish police broke up a drug-smuggling ring that used yachts hired out for family holidays to import more than 800 kgs of cocaine into Britain and Spain. Authorities said the drugs were loaded off Venezuela, Guyana and Suriname and hidden below the decks while paying passengers took cruises. Drug traffickers have also used virtually every commodity that Guyana exports as a cover for shipping cocaine out of the country, the report stated.
The report noted that marijuana is sold and consumed openly in Guyana, despite frequent arrests for possessing small amounts of cannabis. It said CANU and a study reported in the 2005-2009 drug master plan both note that consumption of cocaine powder, crack cocaine, ecstasy, and heroin has been on the rise. The report said Guyana’s ability to deal with drug abusers is limited by a lack of financial resources to support rehabilitation programmes, noting that the country only has two facilities that treat substance abuse – the Salvation Army and the Phoenix Recovery Centre. It added that both of these facilities are “men only” and that there are no treatment facilities for women in Guyana, neither are there adequate programmes to deal with substance abuse in the prisons.
U.S. Initiatives
The report stated that U.S. policy focuses on cooperating with Guyana’s law enforcement agencies and promoting good governance. It said U.S.-funded training and technical support are key components of this strategy, noting that last year the US government continued to encourage Guyanese participation in bilateral and multilateral counter-narcotics initiatives. According to the report the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) is funding projects to improve governance in Guyana, which includes parliamentary and judicial reform. Bilaterally, the report said that the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) works with Guyana’s government and law enforcement agencies to develop initiatives that will enhance their counter-narcotics activities. It noted that the Guyana Government routinely grants diplomatic credentials to DEA officers who cover Guyana from the U.S. Embassy in Trinidad.
Looking ahead, the US Government said that Guyana’s lack of resources significantly hampers its ability to mount an effective counter-narcotics campaign. It said the government had to implement the substantive initiatives of its National Drug Strategy Master Plan for 2005-2009.
“The U.S. will channel future assistance to initiatives that demonstrate success in interdicting drug flows and prosecuting drug traffickers,” Washington said adding that, legislation to give the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) additional authorities and provide regulations allowing for asset seizure and forfeiture needs to be passed.