Minister of State Joseph Harmon said yesterday that the report of the inquiry into the allegations made against officials of the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) by self-confessed drug lord, Barry Dataram will be discussed by Cabinet next Tuesday.
Speaking at a post-cabinet press briefing yesterday he said that the report is on the agenda for the next meeting of cabinet. Cabinet meetings are held every Tuesday.
Subsequent to this he said the Minister of Public Security under whose remit CANU falls will make the information public. Harmon collected the report on behalf of President David Granger who had ordered that a Board of Inquiry be conducted.
Yesterday, he was asked for details on the findings and recommendations.
During an interview with HGPTV Channel 67’s Nightly News in February Dataram accused a high ranking CANU official of being involved in the drug trade and added that the official would take as much as $10 million to allow cocaine to leave the country. He also said that drug lords would pay $5 million before the shipment and the remainder afterward.
Dataram also alleged that the majority of the drugs seized by CANU returns to the streets. He said that he knew of this because of his involvement and his friends’ involvement in the trade.
CANU’s head James Singh subsequently denied the allegations and called on Dataram to provide sworn statements for past and ongoing investigations.
Singh, in a press release in response to the allegations, suggested a link between Dataram’s allegations and what is considered to be his “unease” over the commencement of his trial for the alleged possession of a large quantity of cocaine that was found concealed in shrimp at his Diamond house.
Dataram, his wife and two friends, who were held during a raid of the Diamond Housing Scheme property, are charged with possession of 284 pounds of cocaine for trafficking.
Ramjattan has already said publicly that he does not believe the claims as he felt that the self-confessed drug lord was attempting to besmirch the country’s anti-narcotics agency due to the current charges against him.
