– agency working to remove stigma attached to Guyana as “transshipment” country
The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) commissioned a spanking new building to house its investigative unit to the tune of $42 million.
Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan cutting the ribbon during the commissioning ceremony of the new $42 million building at CANU’s headquarters
This is according to CANU’s Deputy Head, Lesley Ramlall, who said the investment was expected to assist the agency in achieving its goal of removing the stigma attached to Guyana as a transshipment country for narcotics by 2022.
He added that the building would be equipped with all of the necessary equipment and infrastructure to ensure that the fight against the narcotics trade was effectively and efficiently executed.
“Over the years, CANU has continued to be the primary agency in the fight against narcotics trade in Guyana. So it is timely that, as we continue to expand that we have adequate accommodation and office spaces to accommodate all of our staff… In the last two years, our position and our aggressiveness is testimony and based on the outcome of what we are seeing, it is testimony that we are in the right direction.”
Ramlall explained that in previous years, CANU has been faced with tremendous challenges in executing its mandate, but most of these revolved around human resources and infrastructural provisions.
However, with this investment, it is expected that more will be done in the near future to boost the agency’s manpower and facilities.
“… especially in the form of kits, equipment and a vast increase of the authorised strength has impacted immeasurably on the Unit’s intelligence and operational capabilities. Additionally, this level of support has resulted in the seizure of narcotics, arrest, and prosecution of traffickers in some of our rural and remote areas. More so, it has afforded the Unit the establishment and commencement of operations at other locations as mandated by Cabinet,” Ramlall said.
Meanwhile, Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan, who was at the commissioning ceremony, noted the importance of pumping finances into an agency such as CANU and as such, he remained committed.
He added that the challenges CANU has encountered over the years were testimony to the fact that more resources were needed to ensure they were overcome.
“Funding to increase the workforce, funding to increase the infrastructure, funding to increase the assets. And then, of course, the maintenance of the assets, the increasing of the training of personnel, and all of those things require loads of money,” Ramjattan noted.
On this note, he stated that the drug enforcement body has managed to impress the Finance Ministry, hence the construction of the new facility.
