Granger vows to kill “the mother of all crimes” for a better Guyana
Describing it as “the mother of all crimes,” President David Granger says that his Government is determined to end the scourge of narcotrafficking in Guyana.
The President said that his government is looking at the prevalence of the narcotics trade locally with an aim to strategically bring an end to it. Granger aired these views as he appeared on the weekly televised show—The Public Interest. Granger told reporters that many serious crimes have their origin in the “dark oppressive period” when it was clear that drug lords were committing a range of serious offences in Guyana. “I regard narcotrafficking as the mother of all crimes,” said Granger. The President said that the huge sums of money generated from the narco trade can be used to order executions, to recruit rogues who could carry out other serious crimes, and to recruit “foot soldiers.” “They can also get young people to sell the drugs and they can bribe law enforcement officers.” The President said that it is imperative that Guyanese understand the role that narcotics trafficking has played “particularly between 2000 and 2015,” so it has secured a ‘comfortable place’ in society. “Early in September we discovered an aircraft in the Rupununi. It is clear it entered Guyana illegally and may be carrying contraband commodities; we do not know exactly what, but as long as drugs keep coming into this country it is going to be very difficult to control crime.” Granger has been President just about 16 months now. During this time, not one major drug network has been dismantled neither has any key figure been charged.
Granger was asked why this is so, given the fact that he has recognized narco-trafficking as the mother of all crimes. The President responded, “You are talking about what we have done in 16 months but you cannot ignore the fact that this has been built up over the last 16 years.“So we have networks, we have evidence of aircraft coming into the country and we have created the National Anti Narcotic Agency. We established the National Security Committee which every week examines the conduct of the police anti-narcotics unit, the Guyana Revenue Authority anti-narcotics unit as well as the Customs Anti-Narcotics unit. We are using these engagements along with our international partners particularly the DEA of the US to interdict narco trafficking. So it is unfair to say that. As you know, there was a huge bust in the United Kingdom, probably the biggest bust and the Guyana government cooperated in that matter, and in the Jamaica bust,” the President stated.
(Kaieteurnews.com)