US drug accused Shaheed ‘Roger’ Khan purchased computer telephonic surveillance equipment from the Spy Shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, with permission from the Guyana government, according to Khan’s defence attorney.
In a subpoena to the Drug Enforcement Administration from Defence Attorney Robert M Simels, dated April 28, 2008, it is stated that following Khan’s arrest, “FBI agent Justin Krider investigated Khan’s purchase of the computer telephonic surveillance equipment from the Spy Shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and found Khan had permission from the Government of Guyana to purchase and possess this equipment.”
Attempts to contact President Bharrat Jagdeo, Head of the Presidential Secretariat Dr Roger Luncheon, Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee, Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira and Prime Minister Samuel Hinds for a response were unsuccessful. Requests to Assistant Press and Publicity Officer in the Office of the President Kwame McCoy to assist this newspaper in making contact with either the President or Dr Luncheon also produced no result.
Simels is seeking the testimony and all documents in Krider’s possession as these relate to the surveillance equipment purchased in Florida.
In a background paragraph the subpoena says that Khan is alleged to have used the equipment to improperly wiretap various high-ranking officials and others within Guyana in order to maintain his “alleged drug organization.”
Guyanese first became aware of Khan when he, Haroon Yahya and policeman Sean Belfield were detained on December 4, 2002 by an army patrol and turned over to the police following the discovery of sophisticated electronic surveillance equipment and arms in a pick-up at Good Hope, East Coast Demerara.
When they were caught, Khan and his partners had told law enforcement officials that they were in search of Shawn Brown and the other prison escapees who had fled the Camp Street prison earlier that year. The men were later charged with possession of arms and ammunition and placed on $500,000 bail each.
The charges were subsequently dismissed by Magistrate Jerrick Stephney at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court the next year.
From 1994 when he fled from the US to 2002 when he was caught with the surveillance equipment and arms, Khan had already established himself as businessman and had also secured government contracts working on a building project at the University of Guyana, one of his local attorneys disclosed.
Between 2002-2006 Khan kept a relatively low profile, although according to one of the statements he released when local police had set about trying to arrest him, during that time he had been involved in crime-fighting.
His lawyers told the court in New York that following the February 23, 2002 jailbreak when the escapees went on a killing spree he responded to the crisis, providing financial and logistical support to the government. “During the crime spree in 2002, I worked closely with the crime-fighting sections of the Guyana Police Force and provided them with assistance and information at my own expense.
“My participation was instrumental in curbing crime during this period,” Khan had said in one of his media statements.
The US has since alleged that a group he had set up was responsible for the murders of over 200 people during that period. Apart from the period immediately prior to Khan’s departure from Guyana for Suriname in 2006 because he was being sought by local law enforcers, his only other encounter with the police after the Good Hope incident came when properties owned by him were raided.
According to the subpoena Khan’s defence is also seeking all annual “country reports” for Guyana and Venezuela between 2001 and 2006 including, among other things, documents, reports, e-mails and facsimiles supporting the content of these reports.
They have also asked for documents related to the results of Narcotics and Dangerous Drug Information System searches for Khan’s various aliases, which are connected to Guyana and those of Guyanese descent.
It is interesting as the print media gives us tit-bits of releases made from the Roger Khan saga. I don’t pretend to be the new prophet, but I do wish to ask the question was Roger Khan a US-Guyana plant and the deaths probably collateral damages. I posit that none of what have occurred have made any sense. Someone was at sleep at the wheel, from the top to the bottom there is smell of corruption and the deafening silence does not auger much confidence in the PPPCivic Government. Answers are needed, the opposition led by the AFC must hold the government feet to the fire. Vigilance of the Guyanese citizenry should and must be evident at this epoch, a testimony of their enlightenment and maturity.
To Raymond, Suresh, and Blue Boy what are you guys trying to say it’s all right for a private citizen to posess this surveillance equipment and phone tapping device. Well if so the Guyana govt should give all citizens a license and a gun and tell them to go hunt criminals and do whatever you have to do to bring them in. Well if so let’s just disband the GPF and the GDF because we have the citizen to do law enforcement work.
Way to go! USA, USA, USA! The pot keeps getting hotter. We are going to see who will get burn.
Why is Jagdeo not running his mouth on this one?
Even though I am not a fan of the US i do appreciate their justice system because it works and rarely shows any favouritism.
Drug lords actually get tried and convicted there! WOW! lol
GTMASSIVE THIS MATTER IS VERY FRAGILE WITH SO MANY SUPPOSINGLY INVOLVEMENT OF GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS IT HAS TO BE HANDELED “DIPLOMATICALLY”
The revelation of Govenment’s involvement with Roger Khan may be a surprise to many,but you don’t have to be politically astute to understand the broader implication.
The chickens are now coming back to roost. Look out for more bombshells Guyanese. Acting police commissioner and management team of the army, speaks volumes to the mistrust the Govt has in the leadership of the security forces. There may be many more Roger Khans in both the army and police force as well as in private citizenry.
Well said. Move over Clement Rohee. He will be taking your position.
Was this equipment bought to spy on the former head-cop and other who work by the books,’you cannot put a cat to watch the milk’,he is going to sing a lot more,because he is in the hole and everyone else is out having their freedom, Guyana only have a population of about 750.000 people and everybody knows what’s going on in Guyana except the government.
It is a shame on the government.
This Govt should resign. Roger Khan is safe in New York and he will sing a song. Jagdeo is in trouble no freedom of information act needed here “GOD “bless America.
Well since Roger Khan is singing. We have to sign him to a label & give him a major record deal. Ensure it goes platinum. I would suggest he be assigned to BAD BOY ENTERTAINMENT. Diddy got work for him as his foot stool.
i ALREADY HAVE THE TITLE FOR THE ALBUM TELL MEAH IF DIS NAME UN GUN WIN EMMY AWARD ‘MOUT OPEN STORIE JUMP OUT” i ALSO HAVE ONE FOR HIS GIRL IF IT IS NEEDED “LEA-GO MEE NAH RAJHA”
To the new newspaper in Guyana “Guyana Times” now is the time to prove yourselves i will be waiting to see if they will report on this story. Forget Chronicle.
Well, this is what you get when a government is being run by the quasi-educated who are afraid to make tough choices. They (the PPP) knew as at Oct 5 1992 that political forces in the opposition – who draw substantial sympathy from elements in the army and police – will attempt to destabilize the government.
Because the PPP did not do what was needed it had to resort to a drug pusher to take the fight to the freedom fighters. It simply could not rely on the army and police. It never made the tough choices and critical actions that were needed. There had to have been a quid pro quo. Roger Khan did not do this out of altruistic motives. In any proper society, this President would have to go. But not in Guyana.
TKhemraj…thing happening in broad daylight here…this is not a bottom house meeting.
Learn to call it like YOU see it….BRATHER.
How could this could be true when while all of this was going on members of the force and the black community were in a battle with each other. This is an example of simplistic reasoning. If the PPP could not trust a force that was extra-judicially gunning down many of the constituents of its opposition, what is the standard it required in order to trust such force. And if this mistrust had a basis, how come with little change in the current ethnic make-up of said force the PPP is still in power after 16 years.
The problem is that people will advance the most facetious of reasonings in order to lend some justification for these killings. And that is what is sad about Guyana. That even those who supposedly are balanced in their outlook would go that extra mile to sanctify a gross wrong.
My million dollar question is where is the computer now???Both branches of the arm services vehemently denied having receipt of it.Does it mean that the politburo (DICTATORHOUSE-FREEDOM HOUSE) is in possession of it and the politburo REPLACED KBG AGENTS AKA DRUG DEALERS are working diligently undercover as this saga unfolds.
In an unrelated comment why was the so called business man, from whose phone a threatening call was made to Corbin , arrested and then immediately released by the police??? Did the Kremlin have anything to do with it???Moreover was it because Corbin put the spotlight on their ex Kgb agent Roger Khan on the front burner??
We John Q AND JANE Q public were cognizant about these events before but thank you very much STABROEK NEWS for placing it in the public domain for the world to see.
Folks….all of you jumping ahead in this matter and coming too dd conclusions.
Now read this quote from the news article:
““FBI agent Justin Krider investigated Khan’s purchase of the computer telephonic surveillance equipment from the Spy Shop in Fort Lauderdale, Florida and found Khan had permission from the Government of Guyana to purchase and possess this equipment.”
This is suspect. Why “had permission”?
I can understand “possess this equipment”, but not “to purchase”
Now before all of you ponuce pun me and say I supporting de Government,
ease off. I dealing with the issue from an impartial perspective. The FBI Agent’s investigation seems to lack merit and is perhaps pointless. Khan’s purchasing of this equipment is a legal transaction and he does not have the permission of the Guyana government to purchase it.
Now to the possession matter. How could the FBI determine that Khan had the permission of the Guyana government to possess the equipment? Was there any documentary evidence available or produced?
Did he realyy have to have permission?
Something does not mesh here.
So ease off in the rush to judgement.
We know that Khan was an agent of the Government and we base this on a series of actions, like his paying the salaries of some government employees, but we don’t as yet have coupe-de-grace fact to unassailable hit the government with. They will continue to deny his defacto agency until that fact is found, and right now it has not been found..
Ok Carl point taken my concern is did he have a licence to carry the weapon that he was found with something is not adding up.
Carl is talking nonsense. To buy any cellphone spectrum analyzer that you pull the channels and listen and record conversation,you need governement approval for that. That approval will come in the form of a letter with a governemnt signature on it. Which means there is a signature on some piece of paper trail somewhere.
That is why we cannot “EASE AFF”its “GUILTY UNTIL PROVEN INNOCENT” let all the names that are being called PROVE themselves INNOCENT many born Guyanese are ashamed of the whole situation especially the honest PPP SUPORTERS you have to give JACK HIS JACKET in this case the leading administration does not even deserve a SINGLET much-less a JACKET this is SHAME and SCANDAL on the guyana society where ever part of the world we are being CHASED to. because if situations were to our satisfaction NONE of us would have left our MOTHER -LAND to BUS DEE COLE and hear all sorts of LOW -TALKS in SOMEBODY’S elses country we all would have stayed HOME to build our future where we belong