A boat owned by Amazon Caribbean Guyana Limited (AMCAR), on early Monday morning, was attacked and robbed by pirates while it was traversing the Berbice River.
The robbery which occurred on Monday around 01:28hrs at Cabbage Tree, Lower Berbice River, is the fourth robbery to occur as vessels belonging to the company were robbed three times, in May, July and December 2019.
According to a release from the company, pirates constantly traverse the Berbice River area. Crew members who were onboard at the time of the robbery stated that three armed masked men robbed the boat of all its cash and made good their escape in a speed boat. The staff members who were onboard the boat were taken to the New Amsterdam Police Station where a report of the robbery was made.
According to the crew members, the pirates fit the description of those that robbed the vessel last December. However, Commander of Regional Division Six, Calvin Brutus, when contacted, stated that he was not aware of any such report.
Leon Peters, the factory manager for the company’s Berbice branch, told Stabroek News that on Monday, the company had a new crew on the boat as former crew members opted not to work on board the vessel as a result of the past robberies, while others were suspected of setting up the robberies. He noted that currently they suspect that it would be the cabbage cutters along the river as the robbers who came on board asked for specific items that would have been on the boat.
Following the robbery in July 2019, reports were made and information was given to the police showing the involvement of staff in setting up that robbery, however, nothing came of that investigation. Peters said that they followed up with the police on numerous occasions and all they were told was that the investigation is ongoing.
Peters told Stabroek News that the company will take stern action as they have incurred major losses, “Nothing has been done from since last year to now and we keep losing millions of dollars every time,” he lamented.
In July 2019, Stabroek News had reported that AMCAR was calling on the relevant authorities to improve security along the Berbice River after a boat with four crew members was robbed by three bandits armed with guns. At that time a formal complaint was made to the Ministry of Public Security.
