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Drugs distorting Guyana economy, causing 30% of homicides – UN report


By Stabroek editor  |  1 Comment  |  Local | Tuesday, November 13, 2012



Drug trafficking here distorts the local economy and has been responsible for 30% of the homicides here per annum. These were among the findings of the United Nations’ Caribbean Human Development Report 2012: Human Development and the Shift to Better Citizen Security. It was the first time that such a report had been done in the Caribbean context. While the report’s findings about the impact of drugs on the economy and murders is not novel, it adds to growing body of work that a serious problem does exist here and needs to be tackled.



The report which was launched in October this year focused on seven Caribbean countries including Guyana. No consultation was carried out in Guyana. The data on this country was obtained through public sources and the UNDP Citizen Security Survey 2010. Drug trafficking was discussed in the chapter of the report that dealt with `Reducing the Contribution of Street Gangs and Organized Crime to Violence’.



Noting that data was scarce for most nations, the report said that anecdotal evidence was relied on for assessing the consequences of organized crime. Speaking about Suriname and Guyana, the report said that local officials note that “the people who are involved in moving drugs are often the same people who will use the same operation for many other illegal activities” such as money laundering and terrorism. The report said that drug-trafficking often results in local drug use problems because traffickers are frequently paid in the product and are therefore required to sell in domestic markets which then feeds into local criminality which includes  youth gangs, prostitution, and violent and property crime related to drug markets.



Further, the report said that drug-trafficking triggers the proliferation of firearms, which are traded for drugs, and the presence of armed groups to protect turf and other illegal property. “Indeed, drug-trafficking has been linked to the rise in execution-type killings, which account for around a third of homicides in Guyana each year. Additionally, it fosters the corruption of public sector employees and law enforcement personnel by drug traffickers, who use their wealth to buy influence and protection from prosecution”, the report asserted.



It added “In Jamaica, similar to Guyana, there is also a strong relationship between the illicit drug trade and the illicit arms trade. The trade in guns in exchange for illicit drugs exacerbates the crime problem because unregistered handguns flow freely into the country, contributing to the high rates of firearm-related crimes”.



Resonance
This section will have particular resonance with Guyana in light of recent developments here. A large arms cache was recently intercepted in Lethem and this was believed to have been destined for the Colombian FARC guerillas who would then have paid for it with cocaine. The interception of the arms is believed to have led to two execution-style murders: those of Ricardo Rodrigues and his bodyguard Marlon Osborne. There has been no charge in either of these two cases. The arms find is also seen as a contributing factor to the death of Jean Le Blanc, a Canadian who had been summoned to Guyana by Rodrigues to assist with backdating paperwork for communications devices after he (Rodrigues) had been arrested in relation to the arms find. Rodrigues was gunned down while at a meeting with Le Blanc. The latter died suddenly in hospital after he had been recovering well from his bullet wound.







The Caribbean Human Development Report also argued that the drug trade distorted the local economy. “In Guyana, drug-trafficking distorts the local economy and undermines legitimate economic activity because the monies derived from drug sales are laundered by pricing commodities and services much lower than the prevailing market rate”, the report said. This is also a statement that would have traction in the local economy. Ostentatious buildings engaged in trade have gone up in various parts of the city with continued questions over the provenance of their investments.



Youth gangs
The report described youth gangs as “any durable, street oriented youth group whose involvement in illegal activity is part of their group identity”. It noted that of the respondents to the UNDP Citizen Security Survey 2010 across the seven Caribbean countries, 12.5 percent believe that gangs are in their neighbourhoods but that perceptions vary by nation. In Guyana, the number was 13.2% while in St Lucia it was 18%, Trinidad 13.9% and Antigua 12.4%. Around 41 percent of residents in Jamaica, 40 percent in Saint Lucia, and 38 percent in Trinidad and Tobago state the problem of crime is a big one because of gangs in their neighbourhoods. Between 26 and 30 percent of residents in Antigua and Barbuda, Guyana, and Suriname report the same. Only about 13 percent of residents in Barbados answered in the affirmative.



The report also said that data clearly show that respondents in Guyana observed the appearance of gangs much later than respondents in most other Caribbean countries. The report said that about two thirds of the observers in Guyana reported that gangs had emerged in their neighbourhoods in the previous three years. While the police in Jamaica identified 268 gangs and approximately 3,900 gang members as did other countries, the report said that “Police estimates of the street gang problem in Guyana, Saint Lucia and Suriname are unavailable, which represents a challenge to policy makers in these nations to have an accurate understanding of the problem.”



The report said that the structure of organized crime groups in Guyana and Suriname is less well known, but is believed to comprise loosely organized networks that support the drug and gun trade. Though Guyanese police did not have stats, the report said surveying citizens is one way of assessing the depth of the gang problem. The UNDP Citizen Security Survey 2010 revealed that  Saint Lucian residents were the most likely to report such gang violence (20.2 percent), followed by Trinidadians (14.5 percent), Antiguans (12.7 percent), Jamaicans (12.6 percent), Guyanese (10.0 percent), Surinamese (8.7 percent), and Barbadians (5.7 percent). Organised crime has also shown an increased nexus with activities such as Trafficking in Persons.



Sex trade
The Caribbean Human Development report said that investigative work in Antigua and Barbuda and Barbados recently unearthed that the majority of prostitutes in the country were immigrant women forced into the sex trade. “The investigation uncovered at least 80 women who were told they would be earning decent salaries as bartenders, masseuses, hotel workers, or dancers. Instead, the women, who were mainly from Guyana, Jamaica and Saint Lucia were forced to serve as sex workers in nightclubs”, the report said.







The investigation also found that that organized crime groups elicited the cooperation of immigration officers and senior officials, who were frequently bribed to permit the women into the country. Even if an individual or group of individuals are arrested, the rule of law can be subverted via multiple avenues. The UNDP Citizen Security Survey 2010 suggested that judicial corruption is pervasive. For example, the report said that 53 percent of residents in the Caribbean-7 believe that politically connected criminals go free; about 50 percent believe that the justice system is graft-ridden; 47.3 percent believe powerful criminals go free; and 37.2 percent believe judges are corrupt.



The report said that while organized crime appears to have undermined the faith of the public in the rule of law across the Caribbean, the problem appears particularly severe in Trinidad. “Almost 70 percent of the residents there believe the judicial system is corrupt and politically connected criminals go free”, the report disclosed. Focusing on the causes and attributes of street gangs, the report said that in Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, respondents who lived in neighbourhoods with gangs were significantly less likely to feel a sense of inclusion. Participation, the report found, was also significantly tied to the presence of gangs in the neighbourhoods of respondents.



“In Barbados, Guyana, and Trinidad and Tobago, residents of neighbourhoods with gangs were less likely to state that they were willing to participate with others to reduce violence or improve the country”, the report found. Contending that street gangs and organized crime contribute significantly to the levels of criminal violence and undercut the rule of law, the report said that street gangs and organized crime should therefore be among the most important concerns for Caribbean policy makers in their goal of improving human development.



“A key first step is to understand the scope and nature of the problem, the causes of the problem, and contemporary responses to the problem if we are to address street gangs and organized crime in the Caribbean effectively”, the report argued. Stating that Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Guyana, Saint Lucia and Suriname appear to have street gang problems, but the extent and nature of these problems are unclear because of the lack of information, the report said that data does suggest, however, that “Guyana is experiencing problems with organized crime.”

Replies sorted oldest to newest

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives. They use the trade much like the Taliban use the poppy trade to further political objectives. The pepper sauce man comes to mind as well as the ezjet drug carrier that high level AFC officials support.

FM
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives. They use the trade much like the Taliban use the poppy trade to further political objectives. The pepper sauce man comes to mind as well as the ezjet drug carrier that high level AFC officials support.

Like I said you are a brainless jackass. What happened to your braying?

Mitwah
Originally Posted by yuji22:

It is funny to watch the AFC implode and now the filthy responses from their mouthpiece. We cannot expect any better....

Why don't you read the article and render an opinion rather than taking sides with that New Jersey brainless jackass and his distractions?

Mitwah
Originally Posted by Mitwah:

the report said that data does suggest, however, that “Guyana is experiencing problems with organized crime.”

 

 

 

data does suggest: It does not say that the data does CONFIRM. I know Guyana is a transit point for drug shipment for South America to the North America. Just an interpretation of the statement.

FM
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by Mitwah:

the report said that data does suggest, however, that “Guyana is experiencing problems with organized crime.”

 

 

 

data does suggest: It does not say that the data does CONFIRM. I know Guyana is a transit point for drug shipment for South America to the North America. Just an interpretation of the statement.

I agree, and it's a fair one. This type of activity leads to other crimes as stated in the article:
A large arms cache was recently intercepted in Lethem and this was believed to have been destined for the Colombian FARC guerillas who would then have paid for it with cocaine. The interception of the arms is believed to have led to two execution-style murders: those of Ricardo Rodrigues and his bodyguard Marlon Osborne...

 

Hats off to those who made this interception.

Mitwah
Originally Posted by caribny:
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives.


And why does the PPP allow this?

The government does not allow this or cannot prevent all crimes. Why don't you ask the USA gov't to stop people from snorting cocaine? You win some ; you lose some.

FM
Originally Posted by FC:

Skeldon,

 

How many drug lords have been charged and prosecuted?

FC,

The drug lords eliminate one another.

Have they caught all the drug lords in America?

How did Jim Jones happen to live in Guyana with all those military assault rifles whan coolies got 20 years in jail for a bush gun? How did his cult bring all the drugs that were used in the cool aid into Guyana?

How do we know that Jim Jones wasn't a drug lord in Guyana?

FM
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by caribny:
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives.


And why does the PPP allow this?

The government does not allow this or cannot prevent all crimes. Why don't you ask the USA gov't to stop people from snorting cocaine? You win some ; you lose some.

If the drug trade was used by the PNC to fund themselves the PPP would prevent it.

 

So clearly this issue is mkre complex and some involve dhave PPP protection.  We know all about Roger Khan, and others.  Even Gail Texiera expressed concern that some PPP officials used to hang out in establishments owned by KNOWN drug traffickers.

FM
Originally Posted by FC:

Answer the question.  It is quite simple. This is about the PPP’s record of fighting drug traffickers.  

You didn't get it. Did you? Here is the answer: The drug lords eliminate one another. No need for an arrest.

FM
Originally Posted by caribny:
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives.


And why does the PPP allow this?

You mean why does the PNC majority police allow this? That's because they filling their pockets too. You will recall that the police is an independent entity from govt, free to arrest anyone according to the law. 

FM
Originally Posted by caribny:
 

If the drug trade was used by the PNC to fund themselves the PPP would prevent it.

 

So clearly this issue is mkre complex and some involve dhave PPP protection.  We know all about Roger Khan, and others.  Even Gail Texiera expressed concern that some PPP officials used to hang out in establishments owned by KNOWN drug traffickers.

Again, the PPP is in no position to "allow" crime of any nature. It is the police, an independent entity, who are accountable if at all. You will note that the police issued an arrest warrant for RK and he fled to Suriname where PPP in conjunction with the Surinamese facilitated his arrest. 

FM
Originally Posted by skeldon_man:
Originally Posted by FC:

Wow what a brilliant strategy.  Is this how the Americans & Columbians deal with this issue?

WE TAKE NO PRISONERS!

Ah yes a canecutta's response in defense of a corrupt and inept administration.

FM
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:
Originally Posted by caribny:
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives.


And why does the PPP allow this?

You mean why does the PNC majority police allow this? That's because they filling their pockets too. You will recall that the police is an independent entity from govt, free to arrest anyone according to the law. 


And why does the PPP allow the "PNC" police?...yes the same ones who the PNC is now accusing of murder in Agricola, Linden, Linwood Creek and elsewhere.

FM
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:
 

Again, the PPP is in no position to "allow" crime of any nature. It is the police, an independent entity,. 


The police are NOT an idependent entity.  They are an arm of the govt and are controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs.  The police commissioner is appointed by the govt and servces at their pleasure.  The police are paid by the govt.

FM

Most of you on this forum don't even have a drop of patriotic blood in your veins. If a person who is unfamiliar with our politics and history should read your posts they would think that two countries are at war here. No! it's not war. It's Guyana's political culture to de-grade and self-deprecate.

 

Billy Ram Balgobin
Originally Posted by FC:

Thank your PPP for fostering such a culture.  Some of us want to right this wrong and take our country back from these incompetent and corrupt crooks.

The PNC and PPP sat on the same eggs and hatched the AFC. Given this fact you should not be too thrilled about them. 

Billy Ram Balgobin
Originally Posted by Billy Ram Balgobin:
Originally Posted by FC:

Thank your PPP for fostering such a culture.  Some of us want to right this wrong and take our country back from these incompetent and corrupt crooks.

The PNC and PPP sat on the same eggs and hatched the AFC. Given this fact you should not be too thrilled about them. 

Wow! This is like a hellfire that just vaporised it's target.

FM

Billy,

The principals have been to the Promised Land and they did not like what they saw.  So they carving out their own niche to fix what ail those two entities.  So there is some good that comes out rotten eggs.  Hope springs eternal.

FM
Originally Posted by caribny:
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:
 

Again, the PPP is in no position to "allow" crime of any nature. It is the police, an independent entity,. 


The police are NOT an idependent entity.  They are an arm of the govt and are controlled by the Ministry of Home Affairs.  The police commissioner is appointed by the govt and servces at their pleasure.  The police are paid by the govt.


Nonsense, they are independent but get funded by tax payers.

FM
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives. They use the trade much like the Taliban use the poppy trade to further political objectives. The pepper sauce man comes to mind as well as the ezjet drug carrier that high level AFC officials support.

 Do you think telling that lie often will make it true? The rise of the drug culture originated on the smuggling trade in the era of contraband where your kinfolk  were king. It  existed before the AFC existed and all the main players from the air transport people, to the hoteliers, eco tourist operators  to the mall folks and the regent street folks are PPP kinsmen. AFC supporters are the young and a subsistence farmers from upper Corentyne.

 

Go to St Stephens to confession.

FM
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:
.


Nonsense, they are independent but get funded by tax payers.


The Police Commissioner is appointed by, and reports to the Minister of Home Affairs.  They are one of the mechanisms that the Ministry of H/A uses to ensure law and order....at least so their webhsite says.  They are not described as independent by this website and indeed the current Comisisoner has complained that Rohee communicate swith subordinate ranks without letting him know what these discussions are about.

 

So how can they be independent?  Druggie the police force is not an entity that can do what it wants to do without input from the Minister of H/A.

 

So please describe the mechanism which allow the police force to disobbey the Minister of H/A, or refsuse to cooperate w/o repercussions.

 

 

FM
Last edited by Former Member
Originally Posted by caribny:
 

The Police Commissioner is appointed by, and reports to the Minister of Home Affairs.  They are one of the mechanisms that the Ministry of H/A uses to ensure law and order....at least so their webhsite says.  They are not described as independent by this website and indeed the current Comisisoner has complained that Rohee communicate swith subordinate ranks without letting him know what these discussions are about.

 

So how can they be independent?  Druggie the police force is not an entity that can do what it wants to do without input from the Minister of H/A.

 

So please describe the mechanism which allow the police force to disobbey the Minister of H/A, or refsuse to cooperate w/o repercussions.

 

 

 Not true, the commish's appointment is agreed on by the ruling party and consultation of the opposition. How quickly you forget. hahahah

211 of the constitution of Guyana. 


Time and time again it is stated by govt that the police is an independent entity, free to bring charges as necessary.

FM
Originally Posted by Stormborn:
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives. They use the trade much like the Taliban use the poppy trade to further political objectives. The pepper sauce man comes to mind as well as the ezjet drug carrier that high level AFC officials support.

 Do you think telling that lie often will make it true? The rise of the drug culture originated on the smuggling trade in the era of contraband where your kinfolk  were king. It  existed before the AFC existed and all the main players from the air transport people, to the hoteliers, eco tourist operators  to the mall folks and the regent street folks are PPP kinsmen. AFC supporters are the young and a subsistence farmers from upper Corentyne.

 

Go to St Stephens to confession.

I know this as fact, the same way you and the rest of the AFC contingent on the board know that the PPP are drug runners. The AFC's association with the pepper sauce man is legendary. Remember Cathy Hughes relation with the brother of drug baron Nandalall aka Bramha? In fact you fools now change your tune, first you claim to be supported by the business class, the same people you now call drug dealers. Now you twist your mouth and claim to be supported by subsistence farmers. ahahhaha

FM
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:
Originally Posted by Stormborn:
Originally Posted by BGurd_See:

In fact the drug trade is the main form of income for AFC/Pnc operatives. They use the trade much like the Taliban use the poppy trade to further political objectives. The pepper sauce man comes to mind as well as the ezjet drug carrier that high level AFC officials support.

 Do you think telling that lie often will make it true? The rise of the drug culture originated on the smuggling trade in the era of contraband where your kinfolk  were king. It  existed before the AFC existed and all the main players from the air transport people, to the hoteliers, eco tourist operators  to the mall folks and the regent street folks are PPP kinsmen. AFC supporters are the young and a subsistence farmers from upper Corentyne.

 

Go to St Stephens to confession.

I know this as fact, the same way you and the rest of the AFC contingent on the board know that the PPP are drug runners. The AFC's association with the pepper sauce man is legendary. Remember Cathy Hughes relation with the brother of drug baron Nandalall aka Bramha? In fact you fools now change your tune, first you claim to be supported by the business class, the same people you now call drug dealers. Now you twist your mouth and claim to be supported by subsistence farmers. ahahhaha

I am not of the afc. I support them as a foil to the PPP. That was stated here often enough. Remember I was the only one insisting on the presence of the AFC turning the PPP into a minority government.

 

The point is the PPP initiated the rise of this drug culture by turning a blind eye to their proliferation on account it has marginal side effects as apparent wealth. It is clear also they benefited from making RK their assassin for hire., donated 800K to Buddy whom the US said was a in the thick of the drug culture and brought in a Russian company known for its shady business to buy Buddys subsidized hotel. Those are but a few of their side ways look to the culture as it proliferates under their noses

FM

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