Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee yesterday issued a statement describing the 2010 US State Department International Narcotics Control Strategy Report (INCSR)
as a “misrepresentation and falsification of the facts”.

“The  Report makes reference to the efforts of local Law Enforcement Agencies in the fight against narco-trafficking in Guyana.  However, the Report says nothing new save for the usual and few grudging plaudits sprinkled here and there in the text of the document,” the statement said.
Following is the text of the statement:
“The Report, on the surface, appears to be objective but is in fact a misrepresentation and falsification of the facts and the Guyanese reality.  How such a Report was arrived at is anybody’s guess.  The architects of the Report spared no effort in their struggle to patch together a document with the fundamental objective of putting the Government in a bad light and to make it appear that the Government turns a blind eye to or is supportive of drug trafficking activities in Guyana.

“To praise CANU, while at the same time rubbishing the efforts of Government at fighting drug trafficking, is downright deceptive and misleading.

“CANU is an integral part of the Government of Guyana’s institutional arrangements to fight drug trafficking on the national territory of Guyana.  CANU is part and parcel of the Task Force on Illicit Drugs and Illegal Firearms established to enhance coordination and cooperation among Law Enforcement Agencies in Guyana as called for in the National Drug Strategy Master Plan.

“It is not CANU, per se, that is delivering, improving efficiency and enhancing cooperation rather, it is the all round efforts of the Government, through the Ministry of Home Affairs and the collective actions of the Task Force that  has resulted in these positive developments.

“Following the statement in Mexico City in 2008 by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to the effect that:

“I feel we have a co-responsibility, clearly what we have been
doing has not worked and it is unfair for our incapacity ……
to be creating a situation where people are holding the  
Mexican Government and People responsible”, the Government of Guyana had hoped that that statement had signalled a change in the US Administration’s position towards countries like Guyana’s efforts at fighting drug trafficking.

“Regrettably, the 2010 Report is disappointing, to say the least.  Further, it is a clear indication that on this specific matter, the US Administration is short on action and long on words.

“Moreover, mixed signals are emanating from the United States to the world at large, by legalising marijuana (cannabis sativa) in several States, and encouraging the establishment of “marijuana shops” across those States.

“It is apposite to note that the master-servant relationship – which President Jagdeo recently referred to at another Forum as the “Slavery Syndrome”– is obviously still prevalent in certain areas of international cooperation, such as the fight against drug trafficking.  Guyana is disinclined to be party to any ‘Banana Republic’ relationship and urges the establishment of a real partnership based on equity, mutual respect and understanding.

“In this regard, it is important to emphasize that Guyana has never stood on the sidelines in this matter; in fact, Guyana has done much more than the US in the fight against drug trafficking, for example;

•    all members of the  Narcotics Branch of the Guyana Police Force and the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit are polygraphed;
•    Interdiction activities have intensified on all fronts;
•    eradication exercises have intensified in various parts of the country
“Detailed below are statistics relating to interdiction activities by CANU and the Guyana Police Force, for 2009, with comparative figures provided for 2008.  The information attests to the increase in activities for 2009, by both CANU and the Police Force.

Seizures by CANU in 2008/2009

Seizures by the Police in 2008/2009

The results of eradication exercises conducted on marijuana fields by the Police in 2008/2009, is as follows:

“Government continues to expend significant sums of money to fight this scourge at the level of both demand reduction and supply reduction.

“Guyana’s National Drug Strategy Master Plan requires that attention be given to attend to the problem of drugs both from a demand and supply reduction perspective.

“In addition, work is being done to ensure that there is more control and monitoring of the importation and use of Precursor Chemicals in the country to prevent the diversion of the chemicals for illegal use.

Implementation of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan

“A mid-term review of Guyana’s National Drug Strategy Master Plan was done in 2008.  All relevant stakeholders at the technical level were involved in that review process.  It was concluded at the end of the exercise that 70% of the National Drug Strategy Master Plan has been implemented at that stage.  

“As indicated in the previous disclosures, the National Drug Strategy Master Plan, is arranged under four broad areas and contains six 36 programmes.

“A more recent table top review of the implementation of the master plan done this time by the Task Force on Narcotics and Illegal Weapons showed the following:

(i)    Number of Programmes Completed:        17
(ii)    Number of Programmes that have
commenced and are in progress:            16
(iii)    Number of Programmes not fully started
but are under focus:                                  3    
Total                                   36    

“The Task Force thus concluded that 92% of the programmes under the Master Plan has been implemented.

“At a press conference in November 2009, I went into great detail to explain the efforts Government is making at the international, hemispheric and regional, bilateral and multilateral levels to address the drug trade.

“The Ministry of Home Affairs continues to reject any notion that Guyana has not been doing enough to counter narcotics in the country.

ALLEGATION OF NON-ATTENDANCE AT KEY REGIONAL MEETINGS

“The report contains an unfair and misleading statement suggesting that Guyana has not been attending regional meetings, dealing with Drugs.

“On the contrary, Guyana has been making great efforts and at significant to attend anti-narcotic meetings and conferences.

(1)         At the level of the United Nations, we attend conferences
arranged by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime.  We participated in a number of such conferences in 2009, in the Caribbean.

(2)         Guyana participated at the Conference of Heads of
National Drug Law Enforcement Agencies of Latin America and the Caribbean (HONLEA), as recent  as 2009, in Venezuela.

(3)         Guyana participates in regional Ministerial meetings on
the Global Problem of Drug, Security and Cooperation.  Our last attendance was in October 2009, in Mexico City.

(4)         During 2008 and 2009, Guyana was actively engaged in
bilateral discussions with our three neighbours, in particular Venezuela and Suriname, on a wide range of issues, including drugs.

(5)         At the level of the OAS/CICAD, Guyana has been
participating actively in meetings aimed at curbing drug trafficking and drug use, in the Region.

As recent as February 2010, Guyana was represented at an OAS sponsored meeting, arranged to address a regional strategy on drugs, in Washington DC.

(6)         As recent as February 2010, two representatives of
Guyana participated in the pre-IDEC (International Drug Enforcement Commanders) Conference, sponsored by the United States of America, in Jamaica.

(7)         Over the years, Guyana has been participating in
meetings at the CARICOM level to forge a regional approach to combating drugs.

(8)          At the level of the South American continent, Guyana has
continued to promote alliances with other countries in the region, to combat drugs.

TARGETING OF DRUG DEALERS

“Guyana has been cooperating with other countries, including the United States, to identify major drug dealers.

“We have been constantly updating our laws to make our Law Enforcement Agencies more effective.

“So long as there is evidence, we are committed to pursuing both major and minor drug dealers, in the country.

“The recent repeated efforts by the police to extradite a drug dealer to the US, is testimony to our commitment to address the problem of drug trafficking, in a serious manner. “