– in another high-seas bust

IN another sting operation recently on the Atlantic Ocean, the Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LEID) of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) intercepted a motor vessel containing hundreds of boxes of foreign chicken and mosquito coils.
According to the GRA, the captain and two sailors on board the vessel were apprehended and placed in custody.

The tax agency has noted that while the pair were first-time offenders, many of the perpetrators are repeaters.

Second-time offenders, the GRA says, are liable to pay three times the duties and taxes as a fine, while third-timers may be prosecuted and/or be allowed to pay three times the value of the item as a fine, as compensation in lieu of court proceedings.
These offences, in many cases, the agency said, also result in seizure of the goods and confiscation of the vehicles involved.

“The LEID operation exemplifies the GRA’s commitment to deter, disrupt, and prosecute individuals who attempt to import prohibited items, and evade the payment of their fair share of duties and taxes,” it said, adding:

“Whistleblowers have significantly improved LEID’s performance and the agency’s revenue collection, and the general public must be complimented for aiding the authority’s efforts in stamping out this activity.”