US, Europe biggest failures in fighting narco-trade -Jagdeo

Mar 12, 2009 News

Someone snorting cocaine

Head of State Bharrat Jagdeo says that the United States of America and Europe are the biggest failures in the world as it relates to tackling the trafficking of narcotics.
“I keep saying that the biggest law enforcement failures are not in developing world.”
He said that the majority of drugs produced around the world make it through the US borders and onto the streets.
Despite minimal success on the local front, the Head of State recently called for more support for the drug fighting effort.
He was at the time speaking with the media during his first press conference for 2009, where he said that poor countries such as Guyana need support from the developed world.
Poor countries in general, he said, need more equipment and better training along with a wide range of assistance to fight drug trafficking.

The Head of State lashed out at the United States, accusing it of having ‘counter productive policies’.
“They lecture us on drugs…they want us to fight drug traffickers more and if you look down the list of the people that get sent back often it is a long list of drug traffickers.”
He added that quite a few high profile drug traffickers have been sent back to Guyana.
A recent report on Guyana had said that the “Guyana Government’s counter-narcotics efforts remain hampered by inadequate resources for, and poor coordination among, law-enforcement agencies; an overburdened and inefficient judiciary; and the lack of a coherent and prioritised national security strategy.”

The 2009 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR) on Guyana has once again labelled Guyana as a transit point for cocaine destined for North America, Europe, West Africa, and the Caribbean.
The report, which is prepared every year by the United States State Department and analyses the drug-fighting effort for the previous year, has also pointed out that in the penultimate year of its National Drug Strategy Master Plan (NDSMP) for 2005 to 2009, the Government of Guyana (GOG) has achieved few of the planned original goals.

The report suggested that there was minimal cooperation among law-enforcement bodies, and weak border controls and limited resources for law enforcement have allowed drug traffickers to move shipments via river, air, and land without meaningful resistance.
The report did point to the major personnel transition within the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), which the US says offers some promise of improved coordination and interdiction efforts.