Guyanese smugglers prefer chicken and mosquito coil from Suriname

Guyanese smugglers evidently prefer chicken and mosquito coil from Suriname. Huge quantities of chicken and mosquito coils are regularly intercepted and confiscated from travelers. On May 2, 2018, following another sting operation on the Atlantic Ocean, officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) intercepted a boat carrying hundreds of boxes of foreign chicken and mosquito coils. A release from the GRA reportedly said that the captain and two sailors who were on board the vessel were apprehended and placed into custody. These were first time offenders, the GRA said. However, it added that many of the perpetrators are repeat offenders. Second time offenders will be liable to pay three times the duties and taxes as a fine. The boats and the contraband are confiscated during these stings. Since the beginning of 2018 the GRA intercepted several boats that were smuggling contraband from Suriname. The GRA announced that it managed to haul in hundreds of millions of dollars thanks to the smugglers. The smugglers reportedly also prefer to smuggle alcohol from Suriname to neighboring Guyana. The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) last month reported an $8 billion increase in revenue collection for the first quarter of 2018, which has been attributed to improvements in the collection of arrears.