Zero trafficking prosecutions under laws passed to strengthen drug fight

-US narcotics report

Government’s failure to prosecute drug traffickers using legislation enacted to strengthen the response of law enforcement and the judiciary has again been highlighted by the United States, which is encouraging a deepening of security and law enforcement cooperation between the two countries.

According to the US State Department’s 2013 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report,  the Guyana government has passed legislation to enable a more-effective response to the threat of drug trafficking. It cited the Anti-Money Laundering and Countering the Financing of Terrorism Act of 2009, the Interception of Communications Bill, and the Criminal Procedure Bill, which were all designed to enhance the investigative capabilities of law enforcement authorities and prosecutors to convict drug traffickers.

“To date, however, the government has sought no prosecutions under these laws,” the report pointed out.

It noted too that while the country signed a maritime counternarcotics bilateral agreement with the United States in 2001, it has yet to take the necessary domestic action to bring the agreement into effect. The report also said that while Guyana is a party to the Inter-American Convention against Corruption, it has not fully implemented provisions, such as the seizure of property obtained through corruption.

The report did highlight the fact that government is drafting a new Drug Strategy Plan (2012-2016), and the government’s Inter-Agency Task Force on Narcotics and Illicit Weapons is reviewing an inception report. It also noted that the government is drafting anti-gang legislation and developing an Integrated Crime Information System to monitor trends in crime through a network linking the Ministry of Home Affairs to the public hospitals, prisons, and police stations. However, it pointed out that some police stations in remote areas continue to lack reliable telecommunication service.

Seizures

Guyana, the report reiterated, continues to be a transshipment point for illicit drugs destined for the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, Europe and West Africa. The value of cocaine seized by Guyanese authorities in 2011—the last year for which statistics are available—totalled $42 million, it said.

Traffickers, the report said, are attracted by the country’s poorly monitored ports, remote airstrips, intricate river networks, porous land borders, and weak security sector capacity. It added that cocaine originating in Colombia is smuggled to Venezuela and onward to Guyana by sea or air. Smugglers also transit land borders with Brazil, Venezuela, and Suriname. The cocaine is often concealed in legitimate commodities and smuggled via commercial maritime vessels, air transport, human couriers, or the postal services, it noted.

Not all government agencies/units reported seizure and arrest statistics for 2012. The police Narcotics Branch reported seizing 8.6 kilogrammes (kg) of cocaine with 124 people charged, and the seizure of 132 Metric Tonnes of cannabis, with 540 arrests. The report pointed out that the high volume of seized cannabis reflects the increasing trend of farm-grown marijuana for personal use and transshipment. (In August, authorities discovered evidence of marijuana cultivation and processing, as well as boats for shipment on a two-acre island in the Essequibo River.) The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) also reported seizing 92.2 kg of cocaine and 109.4 kg of cannabis. However, the report said that these totals do not reflect the full volume of seizures by all Guyanese agencies, since while the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Drug Enforcement Unit made significant seizures through the Joint Port Control Unit, it did not provide information on quantities during the reporting period.

‘Tangible progress’

According to the report, Guyana has shown strong interest in furthering collaboration under the US-backed Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI). “The United States looks forward to tangible progress on investigations, prosecutions, extraditions, security sector and judicial capacity enhancement, the engagement of at-risk communities, and enforcement of laws against money laundering and financial crimes,” it said.

The CBSI, it noted, forms the central nexus for the United States government’s security and law enforcement relationship with Guyana, with its goals of reducing illicit trafficking, increasing public security and promoting social justice.

It added that efforts to increase law enforcement capabilities, strengthen workforce development, and promote anti-money laundering effectiveness directly address priority concerns for Guyana and the United States.

CBSI-funded programmes, according to the report, support Guyana’s maritime operations by providing interdiction assets, including riverine patrol boats that will be delivered this year and relevant command and control systems, as well as associated logistical support and training.

In 2012, the United States provided port and maritime training to Guyana’s Coast Guard, including in container inspection, port security and leadership development. By strengthening Guyana’s counter-narcotics capabilities, the United States seeks to enhance interagency coordination and help gather better intelligence on drug trafficking routes, it explained.

In the area of supply reduction, it pointed out that Guyana has a drug enforcement presence at its international airports, post offices, and, to a lesser extent, at port and land-border entry points.

The report stated that in September and October, through the CBSI, Guyana’s security forces received training in port security and container control from the UN Office on Drugs and Crime’s Container Control Program (CCP). The government established a full-time, multi-agency CCP Port Control Unit at the John Fernandes Wharf, one of Guyana’s most active ports.

Addressing drug abuse awareness, the report said the country lacks a robust demand reduction strategy that adequately deals with drug rehabilitation. “Marijuana is the most widely used drug in Guyana, followed by cocaine.

The Guyana National Council for Drug Education, Rehabilitation and Treatment, within the Ministry of Health, is the single government body responsible for addressing demand reduction,” it noted, while adding that non-governmental organisations, such as the Salvation Army and the Phoenix Recovery Project, also offer rehabilitation services. It further said that the University of Guyana initiated a demand reduction curriculum through OAS/CICAD funding. As part of CBSI, the United States supports a Skills and Knowledge for Youth Employment project that provides vulnerable youth with alternatives to drug-related activities and provides skills for transitioning to the work force.

Guyana was not dealt with in the section of the report that looks at money laundering.