In order to go after the assets of local hotelier Shervington Lovell, who was recently nabbed in Jamaica on drug trafficking charges, local law enforcement officials will have to collaborate with their American counterparts.
This according to Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) head Michael Atherly, who yesterday stressed that officials here are making preparations in this regard.
Based on what Atherly said, the seizure of Lovell’s assets is at a standstill for now pending collaboration with the officials from the United States.
Lovell is said to be the owner of two multi-million dollar hotels, located in Georgetown and New Amsterdam.
Through the company S&S Mining, Shervington and his brother Shawn purchased the Tower Suites hotel in 2015 at a reported cost of $766 million and undertook major renovations. Then just three years later, in 2018, he was able to open the Leisure Inn Hotel in Berbice, which had a price tag of around $450 million.
The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) is currently conducting a money laundering investigation centered on Shervington Lovell.
Lovell, called ‘Big Head,’ and Colombian Ricardo Ramirez were arrested along with a Surinamese national last Thursday morning at the Norman Manley International Airport in Jamaica on drug trafficking charges. The United States is seeking to extradite the men and while Lovell and the Surinamese national waived their rights to contest the application, Ramirez is fighting it. At the close of press yesterday, the men were still in Jamaica.
Lovell was tracked when he left Guyana and the Jamaican authorities were reported to have been waiting for him and his associates. As soon as he stepped off the plane, he was nabbed. He is said to also own properties on that island as well and it is expected that these will be seized by the authorities there.
His arrest reportedly follows “months of investigations” by local, regional and international authorities.
Stabroek News was told previously that the heads of CANU, SOCU and the Financial Intelligence Unit (FIU) were to meet sometime this week to discuss the matter.
This newspaper has since learnt that the three agencies meet regularly. There was a meeting to deal with a range of issues earlier this week, the newspaper was told. No meeting is held to discuss one matter in isolation.
Former CANU Head James Singh told Stabroek News on Wednesday that Lovell and Ramirez were on the agency’s radar for years.
Singh said Ramirez is no stranger to local law enforcement authorities as his activities here were being monitored and he was even held by CANU during an operation. He said that no evidence was found then against any of the occupants of a vessel and it was subsequently released.
