Police have launched an investigation into how the licensed firearm holder was allowed into the VIP lounge of the Cheddi Jagan Inter-national Airport, Timehri, while being in possession of nine rounds of ammunition, Minister of Transport Robeson Benn said yesterday.
The passenger, head of a state agency, was allowed to depart on a Caribbean Airlines flight after calls were made to a ministry official. The ammunition was confiscated.
Contacted yesterday, Benn told Stabroek News that he was made aware of the issue on Sunday and that the police had launched an investigation and he referred the newspaper to the police. However, efforts to contact Commander of ‘A’ Division, Leroy Brummell, proved to be futile and it is still unclear whether the man can face any charges.
Benn said that he is expected to receive a full report from the police on the issue at the end of today.
Meanwhile, pressed on whether he considered the fact that the man was able to pass through security scanners with the ammunition to be a major security breach the minister said, “Yes, I consider it to be a major security breach.”
This latest breach comes in wake of plans by the government to review the access to and the operations of the VIP and executive lounges at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport. Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon, had said that among other things there might have been lapses that could have contributed to trafficking in narcotics.
Luncheon had the told the media at one of his weekly press conference that cabinet took a decision to review the operations of the lounges as there may have been lapses and when questioned he acknowledged that they may have contributed to the export of illegal drugs.
“The feeling is the weaknesses, the lack of coordination would provide, could have provided an opportunity for cocaine, aiding smuggling, all sorts of possibilities… the way in which the system was actually being managed, supervised; those weaknesses could have been exploited,” he had said.
According to Luncheon, over some time there had been reported “non-conformity with the established rules and procedures governing access and use, resulting in events that impinge on security, customs and immigration operations.”
He said heightened attention to revenue protection and security and in the context of the grade and licensing of airports by external agencies demanded a higher level of collaboration among the immigration, custom and the police. A report received by cabinet, Luncheon had said, suggested that there may have been some exploitation of the failure to adequately coordinate “and things are falling through the cracks”.
benn hold your breath, a phone call was made, and to see if charges can be filed, you are fooling yourself and the public.
WHEN WILL THE PEOPLE SEE REAL DEMOCRACY.
Maybe the Ministry Official is no other than…. You guessed it!
What Kinda bluff is this they digging in we now??? They really think Guyanese (well the ones who are not brain washed!!) stupid or wuh?
…Sandman what you think about privatizing the airport, would it solve the many problem at the airport??…
If I am in charge of security there i wonder how tooth paste and needles gonna reach on a plane….much less cocaine!!
NAME AND SHAME THE CULPRIT
It is certain that the VIP lounge has been used to ship narcotics illegally out of Guyana.
The lounge should be closed immediately with Police sealing tape until the GPF can ensure international laws are not being broken.
SATISH YOU KNOW THAT IS NOT POSSIBLE,THE POLICE BREAK INTERNATIONAL LAWS BY TORTURING(i mean roughing up)DO YOU THINK THEY CAN INCONVENIENCE MEMBERS OF THE GOVT.?
Satish you know that won’t happen. I agree with mark simon, these dudes are above the law. If you consider there are no real laws in Guyana as long as you can afford to buy them the laws are yours.
Satish, when the culprit is named they would all shut their beaks and cry foul.
You remember what happened to the prisoner who went into Camp Street with ammo in his pocket? He got a sound trashing and was eventually sent to the morgue for safe keeping. One of my good blogging friend said that there had to be a gun for the ammo and the prisoner got just what he bargained for. I am suprised that this passenger was not given the same treatment, nah, I am not suprised. Ah!! We are all equal under the law but some of us are MORE equal than others.
And the beat goes on, who will take the blame that is the question.
Fishy fishy fishy. That does not smell good. No wonder guyanaese are being treated so overseas.
This one is very easy to track down.All you have to do is, do a back ground ckeck on the people present and pass with the responsibility of operating the lounge. Then let them explain how so much wealth was accumulated on the salary they make/made.Back groudn check should include overseas bank accounts in Canada and USA.
Pilot, you wnat the authorithies to open a can of worm? There will be so many people to investigate if they decide to go that path. You have no idea the amount of people and the connections they have.
who these people fooling hahahahaha not one thing will come of it. the commissioner just cant do his job. his rank is acting he night as well become a star….hahahahaha.
Why wait until the crimmal gets away to invesigate the crime .
You may never ever see him back in the nation ever again .
Shouldn’t the have arrested this man instead of letting him go now the are trying to put the Cart in front of the horse .
They take people for fools. This is another one that is going to die down like the magistrate who shot the cop. It’s the wild wild west in Guyana.