Narco trafficking “mother of all crimes” – President Granger

…says efforts being undertaken to curb illicit trade

President David Granger has stated that in tackling the mounting crime rate in Guyana, focus should first be placed on dismantling the local drug network, which he believes is the driving force of criminal activities.
Speaking on the weekly televised programme ‘The Public Interest’, the Head of State called drug trafficking the “mother of all crimes”, pointing out that most criminal activities stem from the narco trade.

According to the President, as long as narco trafficking is prevalent, crimes such as gun running, money laundering and execution murders will continue to exist.
“…as long as drugs keep coming into this country, it will be very difficult to control crime. Narco trafficking is the mother of all crimes… The huge amount of money that is generated in narco trafficking can be used to order executions, recruit rogues who could carry out crimes (foot soldiers), they can get young people to sell their drugs and they can bribe law enforcement officers,” he stated.
Granger mentioned the role narco trafficking has been playing, particularly between 2000 and 2015, in contributing to the country’s crime wave which has been on a consistent high during that period.

He continued explaining that while there is no single answer to curbing the illicit drug trade, emphasis must be placed on the root of drug networks and that is what his administration is working on.
The President noted that Government has recognised that narco trafficking is a transnational crime, and that it has the responsibility to ensure that Guyana’s land space and borders are more secure and free from the illicit trade.
He mentioned the recent discovery of an illegal aircraft in Region Nine (Upper Takutu-Upper Essequibo) and noted that local law enforcement is yet to establish a connection to the narco trafficking network. However, he stated that while this incident shows how easy it is to illegally get into the country, the discovery of the aircraft shows that local law enforcement is stepping up their ante.
Furthermore, the Head of State sought to respond to criticisms that the coalition regime is yet to dismantle any local drug network, reminding that the country’s narcotics situation has been built up over the last 60 years and cannot be easily infiltrated.
Nevertheless, President Granger posited that his administration has been taking steps to tackle the drug trade in Guyana, mentioning the creation of the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) which is headed by retired Major General Michael Atherly and the establishment of the National Security Committee which examines every week the conduct of the Police Anti-Narcotics Unit, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) Anti-Narcotics Unit, as well as the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU).
The President added that these efforts, coupled with interactions with its international partners, particularly the United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA), will be used to interdict narco trafficking in Guyana. He recalled that Guyana has been partnering with other countries, United Kingdom and Jamaica of recent, in probing major drug busts that have connections here.
“So I think (the criticisms are) unfair because we have set up the institutions and I think recently the National Drug Strategy Master Plan has been reissued. We are also now conducting investigations into an aircraft coming into our airspace illegally and we taking other measures to ensure the narco trade is brought to an end,” Granger emphasised.

The Head of State further outlined that the country does not have adequate aircraft to patrol the borders; ships to patrol the sea space and vehicles to control the land space; his administration is nevertheless committed to arresting the local drug trade. However, he posited that Guyana is going to adopt extreme measures that other countries, such as the Philippines, has undertaken in tackling narcotics trafficking.
The President’s statements came on the heels of the Guyana Police Force highlighting that its anti-narcotics efforts continue to be successful.
In fact on Friday at a media briefing, acting Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine, emphasised that “Our Narcotics Branch has been doing well so far and this substantiates the fact that our narcotics branch is still relevant and important.”
He went on to disclosed that over the last three months, a total of 43 kilograms of cannabis, worth a street value of $22 million, was seized. Some 108 persons, including 96 males and 12 females, have since been charged.
Additionally, the Police Commander detailed that during the same period, some 102 kilograms of cocaine, with a street value of $92 million, was seized. This resulted in 28 persons, 23 males and five females, being charged.
According to Ramnarine, of the 102 kilograms of cocaine, some 90 kilograms alone were seized at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) from outgoing passengers in three separate cases.
On the other hand, the acting Top Cop outlined that the Police Force has also been successful in its eradication efforts. He revealed that during such exercises over the past three months, a total of 21,150 kilograms of cannabis sativa plants were destroyed by fire in the Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice) area alone.
The most recent drug eradication exercise undertaken by the Police was at Araray Village, Upper Essequibo.
During the twelve-hour exercise on Thursday last, in excess of nine acres of cultivated cannabis with about 8000 plants, ranging in heights from one foot to 10 feet, several nurseries with over 3000 seedlings and two make-shift tents were found and destroyed.
Three males found tending to the cultivation were arrested. They were charged with cultivating prohibited plants and placed before the courts.