CoI report into suspected cocaine vessel handed over to Govt

Some two months after President David Granger established a Commission of Inquiry (CoI) into the discovery of a private vessel suspected to be used for narcotics trafficking purposes in Guyana’s waters, the probe has been completed and the report handed over to Government on Wednesday.

Minister of State, Joseph Harmon received the document from the Commissioners of the CoI, which was set on March 31, “to inquire into the circumstances surrounding the entry into, the interception, detention and subsequent release of an unnamed private maritime vessel in the sea space of the territory of Guyana”.
The Commission was asked to report the findings and recommendations to the President, who is the head of the National Security Committee.
Accepting the report from head of the Commission, Brigadier (Retired) Bruce Lovell, Minister Harmon said that the Government took the issue of national security seriously and, as such, it was committed to examining the contents contained therein.
“I trust that the Report that the Commission has presented will assist us in making some important decisions in the security architecture of this country and that it will assist us in making decisions, particularly as it relates to the fight against narcotics trafficking,” Minister Harmon noted.
Meanwhile, Brigadier Lovell, in an invited comment, posited that inquiries were important, particularly in matters of national interest.
“Inquiries do what any good journalist would do and that is to answer the Five Ws and the one H; the Who, the What, the Where, the Why and the When and it also goes a bit further and seeks to recommend what should be done to prevent any further occurrence. So this inquiry has done just that. In our recommendations, we look at a number of systematic issues – doctrine, organisation, training, leadership, personnel, facilities and, of course, policies,” he stated.
The other members of the Commission were former Assistant Commissioner of Police, Winston Cosbert and Christine Bailey.