New rules have been put in place for timber exports following the discovery by UK authorities of cocaine in a consignment from Guyana and there is growing concern here that authorities have not been able to identify who the exporter is.
Local authorities say they are still waiting for specific information on the discovery of $1.9B of cocaine on a shipment of timber held by authorities at a UK port.
The shipment left here on April 29 on the EWL Venezuela but the Forestry Commission and presumably the Customs and Trade Administration Department are yet to be informed of any details related to the discovery by the UK authorities, including the number of the container in which the cocaine was hidden.
Last week, Commissioner of Forests, James Singh, told Stabroek News that once the number of the container was known his agency would be able to identify the exporter.
As of yesterday, the assistance of the police had not been sought by the UK authorities, according to Home Affairs Minister, Ronald Gajraj. Stabroek News could not reach the Commissioner, Customs and Trade Administration, Lambert Marks whose office said he was out. Marks has not been available to the press for several months now.
An official of the Forests Products Association told Stabroek News yesterday that in the wake of the discovery of the shipment the officers from the Customs and Trade Administration were ordering timber exporters to unbundle their shipments before they are loaded into the containers. This practice, the official said, had led to increased handling costs and at times damage to the consignment.
Before the timber is bundled for shipment, officers from the Forestry Commission examine it to ensure that the timber is of the same quantity and species as stated on the export licence. This examination is normally done at the site operations of the exporter and after the examination the timber is marked by the Forestry Commission officers. The documents are then sent to the Customs and Trade Administration, and officers of this department are expected to be present when the shipment is being loaded into a sealed container or on a flat rack container. Where the shipment is loaded into a sealed container, the Customs and Trade Administration officers seal the container with a numbered seal. The flat rack containers are not sealed since these are open at the sides and at the top. The consignment that departed on April 29 comprised a sealed container and a flat rack.
The shipment of timber was off-loaded at Felixstowe and tracked to South Wales where officers from the HM Customs, Gwent Police and the UK National Crime Squad arrested seven persons. The seven, including Jamaican businessman. Leebert Anthony Barrows, were remanded without bail after court appearances on June 9 and yesterday, and are scheduled to re-appear in court on July 14, according to HM Customs and Excise Press Office. The other six men are Anthony Chambers, Michael Silcox, Gerald Davies, Mohamed Shaheen, Milton Wilson and Joseph Salmon. (Patrick Denny)