The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is currently reviewing a draft agreement for Mutual Administrative Assistance between Guyana and Suriname as part of its anti-smuggling efforts, a release from the GRA said.
Both countries have put border control mechanisms in place to stop contraband and other transnational crimes and they have established port control units to control inbound and outgoing containers by improving real time exchange and analysis of information, after signing a MoU with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime, the release stated.
At a two-day meeting held on January 16-17, GRA Deputy Commissioner of the Law En-forcement Programme, Karen Chapman outlined a number of achievements that have been made since the two countries agreed to strengthen activities, a press release said. In her address at the Guyana International Conference Centre Chapman said a draft agreement regarding the Mutual Administrative Assistance for the Prevention, Investigation, Detection and Suppression of Customs Offen-ces was prepared and is currently being actively reviewed by the GRA’s Legal Division and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
This initiative follows on the heels of a visit by the heads of security forces, including the Chairman of the Task Force on Fuel Smuggling and Contraband, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee and representatives of the GRA to their counterparts in Suriname in 2013. The Maritime Administration Department is also involved in finalising the draft agreement.
Chapman said after several meetings in Suriname with senior officials of the Surinamese Customs and Excise Department, recommendations were made for mandatory reporting by boat owners to Customs at Corriverton and Nickerie to obtain valid Customs clearance prior to departure.
This daily exchange of data electronically about the movement of vessels was also one of the recommendations.
Meanwhile, regular patrols by Law Enforcement Investigation Division officers who are regularly deployed from Georgetown have resulted in seizures of several items smuggled from Suriname.
According to Chapman, these surveillance exercises have resulted in seizures of smuggled goods from Suriname including alcohol amounting to taxes of over $23M, chickens amounting to taxes in excess of $11M, restricted goods such as firecrackers amounting to taxes of $800,000 and motor vehicles amounting to taxes of over $2M. Water patrols with the GRA’s motor vessels have also resulted in drums of fuel being confiscated. The release did not say over what period these seizures were made.
The GRA release said that these efforts have been complemented by the Berbice Anti-Smuggling Squad which was streamlined with responsibilities for enforcement activities including patrolling the waterways and roadways to suppress smuggling.
Chapman expressed hope that the forum provided Surinamese business owners and private sector bodies with a broader understanding of the smuggling problem and that the decisions taken would be implemented.
