GUYANA is refining its campaign against money laundering operations and is seeking international help in the fight.

A tough organised campaign has been long overdue in the face of the obvious spreading tentacles of the `dirty money' trade.

Some law enforcement authorities are known to be frustrated because they cannot yet effectively track down the laundered proceeds of, particularly, known drug barons and cut them off from benefiting from money laundering operations.

Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr. Roger Luncheon this week acknowledged concerns that the trade has been growing.

Rumours abound not to the presence, but to the extent to which money laundering prevails in the economy, he noted at a news conference.

Dr. Luncheon himself heads a special task force set up recently to ensure that Guyana's money laundering laws are operational.

These moves are clearly in line with an international campaign against money laundering and Guyana is joining the Caribbean in tackling the monster.

"I believe that it is quite clear based on the experiences in the Caribbean...that the scourge of money laundering is presumed to exist save and except when it is shown not to exist (and) it is no different here in Guyana," Dr. Luncheon told reporters.

Money laundering is, in the simplest of terms, the practice of getting illegal funds from the drugs trade and other crimes into the legal system.

This is usually done through a wide range of front businesses operating as a cover to channel illegal proceeds and it calls for special skills and dogged efforts to track down the operations.

If this cleansing or laundering machine can be brought to a halt, it would be a serious blow for those behind the operations because they would be cut off from access to the proceeds.

If they cannot enjoy the gains from the drugs trade and other criminal activities, there would be little incentive to pursue these `careers' and this cannot but put a dent in the illicit rings.

It's not going to be easy since the networks have become sophisticated and run operations bigger than some governments.

Guyana therefore has to draw on the resources and experiences of others and Dr. Luncheon reported that from a meeting of the main players in the sector last week, a decision was made to move ahead with arrangements for Guyana's membership of the Caribbean Financial Action Task Force.

Membership of the regional task force is integral to the way in which Guyana pursues the maximum benefit from enacting the money laundering act, he said.

The decision for the Bank of Guyana to set up a special unit to help track down money laundering operations reflects a determination to take on a group that has been allowed for too long to operate with impunity.

The culprits have been openly flaunting their ill-gotten wealth and in a real sense thumbing their noses at the law enforcement and other authorities and it is time that the scourge be dealt with.

The Bank of Guyana special unit has its task cut out and would need all the resources it can muster to prove its mettle.