New U.S. narcotics report out
Guyana Chronicle
March 2, 2007
THE United States yesterday released its 2007 International Narcotics Control Strategy Report which says “there is no evidence” that the Government of Guyana or senior government officials are involved in facilitating the production, processing and shipping of cocaine and other psychotropic drugs.
This year’s report mentions the capture of accused drug trafficker Roger Khan. Infamously named in last year’s report as a “known drug trafficker”, Khan was captured in Suriname last year before controversially being seized in Trinidad, following which he was taken to the United States.
“In 2006,” reads the report, “Guyanese drug trafficker Roger Khan was indicted by a federal court in New York for conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. Khan was deported from Trinidad, and he is currently incarcerated in New York awaiting trial.”
The report does not mention Khan’s capture in Suriname or the circumstances surrounding or preceding his arrest in that country.
While last year’s report specifically mentioned a timber company connected to Khan, Aurelius Inc, this year’s report does not name any specific enterprise.
It nevertheless notes that Guyana’s vast and unpopulated hinterland region provided drug traffickers cover to operate unnoticed.
“Timber concessions in the remote interior,” the report states, “may allow drug traffickers to establish autonomous outposts beyond the reach of Guyanese law enforcement. In response to controversy surrounding one such permit, the government announced it would propose legislation requiring stronger background checks on investors applying for timber concessions. The legislation has not yet been tabled in the National Assembly.”
The report also states – in its section on ‘Demand Reduction’ – that the only two drug rehabilitation centres in Guyana, the Salvation Army and the Phoenix Recovery Centre, are institutions restricted for the use of male patients only.
“There are no treatment facilities for women in Guyana,” the report notes.
Also new in the 2007 INCSR was the assertion that “in some deals Guyanese traffickers swap weapons for drugs.”
For the most part, the 2007 INCSR is virtually identical to last year’s, with some sections being repeated verbatim.
As in last year’s report, poor inter-agency coordination, inadequate resources, and “widespread corruption” were identified as the key factors hindering the country’s fight against drugs.
The report also touched again on late or slow implementation of both local and international measures to combat drug trafficking.
“The GOG,” states the report, “has yet to implement the substantive initiatives of its National Drug Strategy Master Plan (NDSMP) for 2005-2009.” It adds that Guyana is a party to the 1988 UN Drug Convention but still needs to pass and implement additional legislation to meet its obligations under the convention.
In the report, the U.S. encourages the Guyana Government to “increase participation in bilateral and multilateral initiatives, as well as implementing current conventions and agreements”.