Georgetown : The recent reporting of a multi-national drug shipment conspiracy involving the Mafia, Columbian and Guyanese alleged drug dealers and smugglers, has resulted in President Ramotar directing that Home Affairs Minister Clement Rohee contact his foreign counterparts to ascertain the extent of local involvement.
Asked about responses from overseas law enforcement authorities, Presidential Advisor Gail Teixeira indicated that no such response has been forthcoming thus far, as she addressed the media at a press conference at the Office of the President while standing in for Head of the Presidential Secretariat, Dr Roger Luncheon yesterday.
She stated that it has always been a challenge, particularly for developing countries to get certain types of information from others, in particular cases. “From my own experience, as a former Minister of Home Affairs, sometimes you have information, but the information isn’t always shared with you”.
She cited the 2009 Money Laundering Act where due to a lack of certain regulations in place, requests to trace money were denied by overseas law enforcement officials citing privacy laws. She added that the response times are certainly not what government would like, in some cases, but she is optimistic that government would be informed with some alacrity and not be dependent on what is read or gained via the media, “so that we can examine who was involved here but unless we have that information it’s difficult”.
Dozens of persons have been arrested in the United States of America, Canada and Italy as part of an international drug fighting operation.
