Oil mill manager says CANU ranks highhanded
Head requests official complaint
Stabroek News
November 11, 2003

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The management of the Pomeroon Oil Mill is claiming that six Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) officers, who recently conducted a raid at the building, acted in a highhanded and disrespectful manner towards workers.

However, contacted yesterday Head of CANU, Bernard Truman said that he was unaware of any acts of intimidation from his officers who conducted a search on November 8. He said the owner or manager of the mill should make contact with him either by telephone or in writing and make an official complaint that he would investigate.

According to the security guard on duty at the time of the raid, it was at 11:10 am, when six armed men entered the compound identifying themselves as being from CANU and saying that they were there to search for drugs.

The guard then informed the mill manager, Ronald Abrams, who reportedly told the officers that they needed to inform the management of their visit. They allegedly told him that they did not need to inform anyone.

The manager said that he then asked the officers for some form of identification. He claimed they told him that they did not walk around with any, and when he attempted to inform his head office, he was not permitted to use the telephone.

Abrams alleged that the men proceeded to rip open and destroy cartons with items for the general store as well as cartons with literature for the Jehovah's Witnesses Church.

He alleged that the men threw down the empty plastic containers from the truck that had recently returned from Georgetown.

According to a female supervisor, the men then searched the lunch bags of the female employees. She alleged that the men also ransacked cupboards and cartons of bottled refined oil for the Georgetown market.

No drugs were found on the premises and the mill management is asking who will compensate the mill for the damage that occurred as a result of the search.