President Bharrat Jagdeo yesterday told the top brass of the Guyana Defence Force not to allow criminals and drug lords to take over the country and launched a broadside against the US on a number of fronts.

He said the US is the biggest consumer of drugs and one where money laundering is rampant and yet it wants to lecture countries like Guyana about such issues.

President Jagdeo said that over the last ten years criminal threats have evolved and as a result the policing and joint services techniques must also evolve with the changing nature of crime.

“We can’t allow the drug dealers, we can’t allow the criminals to take charge of this country or create that image that would slow down development