Drug court coming –as Guyana National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2016-2020 launched
British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, US Ambassador Perry Holloway, and others at the launch of the Guyana National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2016-2020 on Friday
British High Commissioner Greg Quinn, US Ambassador Perry Holloway, and others at the launch of the Guyana National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2016-2020 on Friday

GUYANA’s National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2016-2020 was launched on Friday, with Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan announcing the establishment of a drug court and the simultaneous roll out of the National Anti-Narcotics Agency (NANA) as part of a menu of measures designed to combat the use and trafficking of illicit drugs.The long-awaited plan — birthed out of a review and modification of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan 2014-2018 and triggered by the need to bring it in line with the most recent national and international dynamics of the drug problem — was unveiled at the Guyana Police Force Officers’ Training Centre at Eve Leary in the presence of Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo; Minister of State, Joseph Harmon; Minister of Public Health, Dr. George Norton; Major General (ret’d) Michael Atherly; Police Commissioner Seelall Persaud; Crime Chief Wendell Blanhum; Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh; Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Godfrey Statia; US Ambassador Perry Holloway; and British High Commissioner Greg Quinn.

In outlining the key objectives of the master plan, which focuses on the reduction of demand and supply; control measures; institutional strengthening; policy coordination and international cooperation, Minister Ramjattan disclosed that a drug court would be established.

“It will deal with a specified class of offenders,” he explained, while adding that the court will be responsible for the integration of drug treatment services within the criminal justice case processing system.

“For a lot of crimes, we simply feel, ‘Jail them having been found with a joint or more than a joint’, (but) that is not the solution,” Minister Ramjattan told those present.

According to the National Drug Strategy Master Plan, the Government will put the necessary mechanisms in place to reduce the use of incarceration as a punitive response to drug crimes, and alternative strategies will be used. Additionally, Government will be looking to reduce the amount of time offenders spend in custody.

Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan

Government may promote — where appropriate, in keeping with legislation — alternatives to incarceration for drug-related crimes, taking into account, among other things, a gender perspective; the seriousness of the crime; proportionality of harm to punishment, a section of the plan explained.

In addition to establishment of the drug court, Minister Ramjattan alluded to the establishment of NANA, an agency that would monitor and assess implementation of the master plan on a continuous basis, in collaboration with all stakeholders.

Describing NANA as a unified Government organisation, he said that when established, it will have the scope and authority to counter the entire spectrum of illegal drugs, thereby allowing agencies such as CANU, the Guyana Police Force and GRA to combat the use and trade of illicit drugs under one umbrella body, which, with regional and international support, would effectively seek to disrupt the production, supply and distribution of illicit drugs.

He said the multi-pronged strategy also places major emphasis on reducing the use of drugs in the community, while minimising the harm they cause to individual users and the community at large. A reduction in use of drugs would also result in a reduction in demand; and, as such, the Public Security Ministry, with the support of other ministries — such as Health, Education and Social Protection — would strive to promote opportunities, settings and values within communities.

“By that we are saying: increase community awareness and education of drug related harm; increase community capacity to participate and be informed through debates about drugs and drugs policy action; promote accessible positive alternatives to drug use that are acceptable, attractive and meaningful,” Minister Ramjattan explained.

Moving in this direction calls for greater investment in sports, entertainment, recreation facilities, music and culture, and fostering a community that is supportive of the family and positive parenting, he added.

ADDRESS DEFICIENCIES
Major General (ret’d) Atherly, who led the review of the master plan, said it would address many of the deficiencies within the system.

“Because of Guyana’s geo-strategic location within the hub of the trans-shipment routes from the Andean cocaine producing countries to the large consumption markets further afield, we are especially affected by the transnational criminal aspect of the problem. Consequently, our previous concerns with law enforcement and strengthening public security have overshadowed other key facets of our drug control policy,” he explained.

The master plan, he further noted, is crafted to correct the imbalance by placing greater focus on public education and prevention techniques, to deal with the problem in the earliest stage of its development. Hence programmes emanating from this plan will promote treatment, rehabilitation, and social reintegration for drug users.

Besides being a major public health concern, the Major General (ret’d) said, illicit narcotics have always been key generators of crimes. He alluded to the UNODC 2016 Report, which stated: “Violence stems from drug trafficking when that trafficking is highly profitable. The profits allow drug traffickers to purchase higher level weaponry, making conflict much more dangerous.”

Though they both are experiencing challenges as a result of Guyana’s porous borders and the lack of resources – human, financial and technical – CANU and the Guyana Police Force’s Anti-Narcotics Branch continue to crack cases on a regular basis. Today, the Police Force’s Anti-Narcotics Branch would have aided in the destruction of approximately $18B in cannabis for 2016, when the street value is applied, the Crime Chief pointed out in his presentation.

Additionally, 102 kilograms of cocaine were seized at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), while approximately two kilograms were seized at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport at Ogle. It was further pointed out that some 323,515 cannabis plants were destroyed, along with 150 acres of cannabis.

Blanhum said that at the commencement of the year, the Force made a conscious effort to decentralise its Narcotics Branch, thereby allowing for smaller units to be established in each division. Additionally, there has been increased training for ranks, both at the local and international levels.

“The training is basically designed to advance their investigative skills and knowledge, and prepare then to deal with the threat posed by drug traffickers,” Blanhum posited. “As you know, drug traffickers have mastered the art of networking, hence it is imperative that law enforcement bodies such as the Police Force collaborate with other agencies in order to effectively and efficiently eliminate the narcotics market,” he explained.

According to the Guyana Drug Information Report 2015, some 363 persons have been charged for drug possession, 187 of whom were convicted in the courts. In the case of trafficking, 439 persons have been charged, 112 of whom have been convicted.

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