The inquiry into corruption allegations against the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), which were made by self-confessed drug dealer Barry Dataram, found that they had no merit but was helpful in identifying areas within the drug fighting structure which needed attention, President David Granger disclosed today.
Granger made the disclosure during a recording of the ‘Public Interest’ interview programme, which was released today ahead of tomorrow’s broadcast.
During an interview with HGPTV Channel 67’s Nightly News in February, Dataram said CANU was corrupt and implicated a high ranking CANU official in the drug trade, while claiming that the official would take as much as $10 million to allow cocaine to leave the country.
“As far as the specific allegation is concerned, the commission found that they were without merit but he did discover other weaknesses or deficiencies in our anti-narcotics programme. For example, there is not enough funding, there is not sufficient equipment,” Granger said, when asked about the findings of the inquiry, which was conducted by Brigadier (Rtd) Bruce Lovell. The final report was handed over to Minister of State Joseph Harmon on July 8 but has yet to be released to the public.
Concerns have been raised by observers as to the reason behind the delay in the report being released to the public. This newspaper had sought to get information on the findings and recommendation from three government ministers but they all said that it had to be looked at by Cabinet first.
Minister of Natural Resources Raphael Trotman, speaking at today’s post-Cabinet press briefing, said the findings ought to be made public in a timely manner but urged that there be patience given the nature of the matter.
“Most rightly the public has to know but of course something like this, as you know the very prompting of a Commission of Inquiry by the president, means that our national security was at risk by some of the allegations. So, even as we make preparations for the publication of the report, I am sure some of its contents and recommendations require some private or confidential distillation, perhaps at the National Security Committee, before it is brought out publicly. So, please bear with us. …In the normal course of things given the magnitude of the accusations made and the seriousness of the report, we would ask that reasonableness prevail,” he said.
Though reporters were told that the report would be discussed at this week’s Cabinet meeting, it was not.
“We had a very long meeting and were unable to get to the report,” Trotman informed.
He said that he has not seen the report. “Even as a minister of the Cabinet, I have not seen the report, so I can say definitively I cannot pronounce on any of its contents and I am quite relieved to be able to say so because otherwise I would have been withholding information. I haven’t seen it, so I can’t pronounce on its contents,” he said.
Granger said during the recording yesterday that the report indicated that there is lots more that needs to be done to boost the anti-narcotics fight.
“As you know, we have established something called the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA), which will be an umbrella body to look after the countrywide anti-narcotics programme involving the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Customs and Trade Administration, the police anti-narcotics branch, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit,” he said.
According to Granger, at present NANA’s head, Major General (retired) Michael Atherley, attends the weekly National Security Committee meetings. He said that it has been agreed that the National Drug Strategy master plan would be published.
“So, I expect that there is going to be a higher level of coordination. The Commission of Inquiry, therefore, pointed to the need for administrative changes to be made in the architecture of Guyana’s anti-narcotics programme,” he said, while adding that this was one of the benefits of the commission.
Granger pointed out that it is a known fact that narcotics are not produced in Guyana but enter the country through the borders. “So then we need better equipment to detect; surveillance equipment, we need all-terrain vehicles, we need better trained staff, we need aircraft, so there needs to be a new look, a fresh look at the anti-narcotics architecture in the Guyana,” he said.
He stressed that the report was very helpful in telling government about things that need to be done. “It’s not a witch hunt and we are not looking to get any scalps,” he said
Dataram had 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 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.
Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan had said publicly that he did 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.
