Govt taking the fight to drug smugglers
─ Min. Ramjattan tells Cotton Tree residents
— “we intend to cut down all their profits, irrespective of who is involved” – the Public Security Minister assures
DPI, Guyana, Saturday, November 16, 2019
The Coalition Government has taken the fight to the drug smugglers and no longer is the country overwhelmed with illegal drugs and its attending consequences.
Minister of Public Security, Hon. Khemraj Ramjattan said this is being achieved through a collaboration between the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA). According to Minister Ramjattan, that is something the previous administration rejected for several years.
The minister was at the time addressing residents of Cotton Tree, West Coast of Berbice (WCB), during a community meeting. He pointed out that due to teamwork with the DEA, the government was able to capture three aeroplanes that were filled with drugs near the Brazilian border. The minister told the attentive gathering that it is only with intelligence-sharing that the government can put a dent in the drug trade.
“We have been getting very good reports concerning the fight against narcotics. We have laws now to cut the profits from the trade, and we intend to cut down all their profits, irrespective of who is involved,” Minister Ramjattan stated.
“We would not let Guyana go ungoverned in any space. This government will ensure that its state apparatus covers all of the country… we are going to cut them down and we are going to ensure that we take the proceeds of all their criminality.”
The Public Security Minister also highlighted that the crime statistics are showing that serious crime in Guyana is on the decrease. This is due to the capacity-building of the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and better community relationships between the police and citizens.
Minister Ramjattan emphasised that the government has also tackled Trafficking in Persons (TIP) moving Guyana from a Tier-three status to a Tier-one since taking office in 2015. As of June, there were 17 charges along with three convictions for persons involved in the hideous act.
The meeting with the minister on Friday was part of a broader effort by the government ministers to engage residents at the grassroots level to listen to their concerns and to provide solutions. The ministers will be continuously meeting the public through their community meetings.