The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) is investigating the reported raids on the homes of two La Penitence families last Wednesday by persons purporting to be officers attached to CANU and the Police Narcotics Branch.
When contacted, Head of CANU Michael Atherly yesterday explained that the agency is currently investigating and will issue a response at a later date.
Meanwhile, a traumatised Sheneza Bacchus explained that her ordeal began around 5.30 last Wednesday evening when a group of four persons, purporting to be from the Police Narcotics Branch, showed up at her lot 241 Independence Boulevard, La Penitence, home and demanded that they be allowed to search the premises.
She explained that with the exception of her young son, who was on his laptop in the lower flat, everyone else was upstairs when she noticed two unmarked pickups outside the yard.
“I recall that one of the guys had a gun, and then he say… ‘We came to do a search; that we came for the drugs…’ They barged in and I asked them to show me a warrant and some identification and one of them said they don’t have to do all of that,” the woman said.
“With that, I couldn’t do anything in my own house. They come and search up all over. We are Muslims and we had a cabinet with some Qurans inside. He pull the cabinet and break it,” she added.
As if the raid was not traumatising enough, Bacchus said that a female who was among the group told them that they would have to undergo a strip search.
The woman told this newspaper that they complied with the instructions given and were taken to one of the bedrooms in the upper flat where they removed their clothing in the presence of the alleged female rank.
After this, Bacchus said she was taken downstairs, where the individuals continued their search, which she claims lasted for at least 30 minutes.
She noted, too, that by the time the group had concluded their search, she was visibly upset and had been in tears, which prompted a member of the group to approach her and offer an apology.
Meanwhile, another relative of the woman who was present at the time of the incident told Stabroek News that she made numerous attempts to ascertain which agency the group was attached to by asking to be shown some form of identification. However, her attempts were met by one of the men saying she was asking too many questions.
“They said Police Narcotics Branch but I don’t know if this was a set up or something because the [Criminal Investigation Department] head saying that he don’t know the ranks who came here,” the woman related. Notwith-standing, Bacchus said that she has since filed a complaint at the Police Complaints Authority on Brickdam and that an officer from CANU had visited the home on Monday evening to see where the alleged incident took place.
“Somebody from CANU came to see where we living… and [said] that he doesn’t know any of the persons who did the search… I gave my statement but they wanted the children to go but they don’t want to go, they are traumatized. We left shocked. We left really frightened. I cannot get a proper sleep as I hear a noise, I waking up and that’s not nice, my blood pressure high right now,” Bacchus lamented.
Stabroek News was also able to confirm that a family residing several houses away had a similar experience on the same night with the same group of persons, who at that point were purporting to be CANU ranks.
An occupant of the home, who briefly spoke with this newspaper, explained that they too have filed a complaint and that the authority is investigating the incident.
