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Govt. waiting on US to set-up local DEA office
The Government of Guyana is not opposed to the setting up of a Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) office in Guyana and is essentially waiting on the American Government to definitively say when the office will be established here.
Clement Rohee
This is according to Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee during a brief interview with this publication; He indicated that Government and the US have been discussing the establishment of a DEA office in Guyana.
In the absence of a physical office in Guyana, the Guyana Police Force, Narcotics Department and the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) have been communicating and collaborating with DEA regularly, he said.
While the establishment of a DEA office in Guyana is an old issue, it recently regained prominence with this week’s bust of drug traffickers linked to the notorious Gambino and Bonanno crime families and the Italian crime syndicate known as ‘Ndrangheta. The issue brought to light that Guyana was identified as a port through which large amounts of cocaine are shipped.
Court documents coming out of the US showed that a major player in the drug ring had conspired to collect large amounts of cocaine from a “Guyana connection” which would be packed and smuggled in fish.
And, even with Guyana’s collaboration with the US, it is unclear how top government officials were unaware of the events. However, President Donald Ramotar has instructed Rohee to request information from the US regarding Guyana’s involvement following the international drug arrests.
According to Rohee, the President’s instruction was heeded but he did not divulge if the letter was sent to the US Embassy in Georgetown.
US Ambassador to Guyana, Brent Hardt on Thursday related to the media, “We have been speaking as recently as last December. There is no reason why we haven’t set anything up, but it is a matter of getting approval, because we have had a bit of budgetary constraints.”
We have the presence here in Guyana where we are covered by the DEA in Trinidad, and that’s been the situation for some time, and they work very closely with Guyanese police and other law enforcement authorities. But even though we don’t have an office, we have officers that are in the country from time to time and they are trying to build cases.
That’s what the federal agency brings to the table, its ability to build cases against major traffickers and that’s what they do in all the countries they operate.”
Ambassador Hardt added that for the time being, he has tried to make an effort to lobby for the DEA office, but no decision has been made.
“It’s not an issue of Guyana government hindering that, but it’s on our side. We have to find the resources and go through a process.”
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