Time to get serious and stop the scourge of smuggling

Jun 14, 2018 Letters

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DEAR EDITOR,
Where is Guyana going when it comes to law and order? When will we, as a nation, get serious and stop the scourge of smuggling?
Recently, the media reported that two Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) officers were shot with pellets by smugglers. From what I read, the two officers were part of a GRA team that attempted to intercept a vehicle and a boat suspected to be operated by smugglers transporting smuggled chicken and alcohol at Bee Hive, East Coast Demerara.
Smuggling has taken root as a nasty part of Guyana’s underground trade. The authorities were so slack in dealing with this crime that filthy-rich ‘fat cat’ smugglers move freely in our society rubbing shoulders with certain members of high society and running fake businesses as fronts for their illegal activities.
These ‘big shot’ smugglers plus a swarm of small-time hustlers doing the same wickedness do not give two hoots that their crimes cost Guyana countless millions of dollars in funds for social development. This loss deprives law-abiding citizens of much-needed benefits like improved health care, better education, proper roads and infrastructure etc.
People hell bent on gorging themselves on the proceeds from crime have been smuggling fuel, gold, food, electronic equipment, alcohol, cigarettes and much more across Guyana’s borders for decades. Much talk and some anti-smuggling campaigns have done little to slow them down, much less stop them.
I know of a businessman who imports motor vehicles and who is well known to be a fuel smuggler who passes his illegally imported fuel through the Linden/Soesdyke Highway area.
The authorities intercepted the ship of another known smuggler, a popular businessman. I heard that the smuggled fuel was dumped into the river creating havoc with the environment, especially marine life.
Desperadoes for wealth seem bereft of shame while they go along their merry way, smuggling as much as they want. And because of vast wealth smugglers have acquired, they can easily bribe officials and control the justice system.
Smuggling in Guyana reached its zenith in the 1970s when the Government of the day banned essential goods such as flour, onion, garlic, corned meat and salt. Even sugar was being imported in those days.
In those days, many people believed that the External Trade Bureau was controlling imports at the behest of the then Government and many basic commodities were not readily available.
Therefore, many citizens turned to smuggling to get essential goods for themselves and for resale. The government back then obviously meant well and did not realise the extent to which people would go in order to get essential consumer items.
Today, even though all these goods are available to everyone in great abundance, the reality of smuggling remains and it is a thriving business.
I wonder how many businesses base their operations solely on smuggled goods. I believe the number is higher than most people think. If a significant number of local businesses operate in this way right now, then bringing smuggling to an immediate halt will have a devastating impact on the business community and, by extension, the economy. It’s worth a study.
That is why it is important to get a clear understanding of the magnitude of the problem and act now before it’s too late.
Smugglers pay no tariffs or taxes. Therefore, they undermine legitimate businesses that not only pay all tariffs, but also pay NIS and other legitimate operating expenses, thereby contributing to the coffers of this nation and enabling our governments to provide us with services that are essential to our people’s well being.
Guyana is getting strong warning signals about the possible disastrous impact of smuggling from what is taking place elsewhere in the world. The Financial Gazette reported this year that smuggling into Zimbabwe is hurting the nation’s economy, and many companies have collapsed due to the economic challenges made worse by smuggling.
Pakistan has a flourishing parallel economy based on goods smuggled from Iran, Afghanistan and China. The annual volume of the Afghan transit trade alone is estimated at over billions of dollars. The World Bank reportedly estimated revenue loss as a result of this illegal trade at US$35Bln from 2001 to 2009.
Every year, the Philippines Government loses billions to smuggling, which puts an extreme burden on the island chain’s legitimate economy. Smuggling can also destabilise nations. Just take a look at some African countries where the smuggling of diamonds (blood diamonds) has fueled civil wars.
Guyanese unknowingly or knowingly buy smuggled commodities because they are cheap, which boosts this underground trade. Those who knowingly buy smuggled goods might think that smuggling is not so bad, or that it is just a question of bypassing paying duties and accessing commodities at cheap prices that they can sell back at a higher profit margin.
But I believe smuggling is on par with illegal drugs. Smugglers love a nation where anarchy reigns, where bullying and criminality are on top, so they can make tons of money. They are capable of many criminal acts to get their way and are even capable of incorporating money laundering, human trafficking and drug dealing activities as part of their trade.
Smugglers can be vicious. Think about what happened with the GRA officials. The smugglers did not want to be stopped and were prepared to do anything, even injure or kill, to avoid arrest. We cannot allow this to continue in our country. We are already saddled with numerous challenges that we are struggling to grapple with.
This is not the first time smugglers have shot at GRA officials. Thank God the injuries to the GRA officers were not life-threatening. I wish them speedy recovery and hope they resume their duties fearlessly, when they are healed.
Obviously, the team members were not cowards; actually they were very professional in their approach to these criminals. Thankfully, arrests were made. Kudos to the officers and to GRA for having such committed personnel in the law enforcement department.
I suggest that we set up an intelligence-gathering network around the country. This network can particularly target smuggling hotbeds such as Charity, Corriverton, Anna Regina, Mon Repos and Mahaicony.
GRA’s last operation up to the time of this letter was at Bee Hive, which the authority said is known to be a popular drop-off point for smugglers. So we already know the hotbeds.
Our intelligence network could set up sting operations with officers infiltrating smuggling rings by pretending to be wholesalers or vendors willing to buy smuggled commodities.
The GRA and Police can also set up a hotline to facilitate getting anonymous tips that would lead to the arrest of smugglers. Also, a reasonable reward can be offered in exchange for any information leading to the identification and arrest of smugglers.
Sincerely,
Roshan Khan Snr.

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