THE U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) office in Guyana will not replace the role of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) or the Police Narcotics Branch by intercepting drug traffickers but rather it would be offering technical advice and assistance to these organisations. “They are not policemen in Guyana. They are not going to be kicking down doors and taking people under arrest but they will be consulting with the different entities in Guyana,” U.S. Ambassador Perry Holloway said as he offered clarity on the role of the U.S. DEA office here.
The Ambassador explained that the DEA will be in consultation with different anti-narcotic agencies in Guyana with respect to sharing intelligence on cases of mutual interest.
“The DEA would be able to share with Guyana, to help them better direct their investigation, and hopefully in the end, that would lead to less narcotic activities on the streets of Guyana.”
The DEA office will be in full operation by January 2016 as preparatory plans are moving apace, Ambassador Holloway said.
However, he also said there is a possibility that the DEA office can be officially opened earlier than expected in December.
“We have guys in the embassy working but they are not living in Guyana,” he said, but noted that additional staff would be flying into the country soon to take up residence.
“That will provide a little more continuity and obviously narcotics cases are very complicated. They often include money laundering and associated crimes,” he added, emphasising that though it may take years, the office will aid in bringing down the narco trade in Guyana.
Ambassador Holloway made the comments during the signing ceremony yesterday for Letter of Agreement 3.2 for the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CSBI) at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
There are seven DEA Caribbean island country offices. They are located in Barbados, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Haiti, Jamaica, Suriname, and Trinidad and Tobago.