By Jomo Paul
[www.inewsguyana.com] – The U.S Government is accelerating its efforts to establish its Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) in Guyana with a local office expected to be fully staffed and operational by mid-January.
Newly – accredited U.S Ambassador to Guyana, Perry Holloway made the disclosure at a press conference on Monday where he stated that head for the local office has already been named.
“There has already been someone selected to be the head of the office, I cant share the name at this time, but I hope to see him on January 15 and his team around the same time,” said Holloway.
He pointed out however that the local office was previously staffed by temporary workers following the Congressional nod being given in July 2014.
“Since then we have started ramping up the process…we have had a lot of temporary staffers…We hoped the office permanently staffed…on or about January 15,” Holloway stated.
The announcement was made of a local DEA office at a press conference last June, between ex- President Donald Ramotar and Former US Ambassador to Guyana Brent Hardt, at the Office of the President.
The office, which will be stationed at the US Embassy in Georgetown, was equally welcomed by both the President and Ambassador Hardt.
The President had noted that the US DEA has also been working very closely with Guyana’s Police Force and Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) from its base out of its office in Trinidad.
Ramotar, from the very beginning of his tenure, expressed the view that narco-trafficking is an international problem that needs international cooperation to successfully combat it.
Until we get a more common sense approach to drug use, and given the corruption we have to deal with linked to the war on drugs in which Guyana is caught up due to its geography, and add the ongoing Venezuelan claim to Guyanese territory where do any of the three possibilities you mention negatively impact all Guyanese? By the way also do some research on the DEA offices in Trinidad and Jamaica.
This blog just conform that DRUG KINGPIN is a paid FH blogger, majority of supporters of the criminal PRIVATE PARTY PROTECTION will be running like hell, any person who makes a statement like this is comforming that Guyana was booming with drug money,the setting up of any law enforcement officers should not and will not worry the honest Guyanese, ate you so afraid of being extradited or you prefer backtrack. Why are you afraid of the military? Same thing i have been saying for years, you people don’t want to serve the joint services,you want to live in the lawlessness you had for 23 yrs,this is the reason why many of you love Barrat,roger files will be released and he will be deported also, watch your back,,,,hip hip to the END TO DRUGS and the COCAINE EMPIRE
Learn to read before you spew your ignorance and hatred. This was an initiative under the Ramotar administration. Of course they slept on it after, since they were never really interested in going after the drug lords, and we all know the reason why.
Had the PPP won the election the government would have come up with excuses and technicalities to impede and obstruct the opening of that office. Regardless of what Ramotar had been pressured into doing Jagdeo (president or not) and his stooges would not have allowed the establishment of a DEA office in Guyana. Being clearly linked to drug money is something they would not have risked. Suspicions and accusations they can live with.
The PPP’s victim mentality will soon kick in. Standby for all sorts of statements from Freedom House relating to the objectivity and impartiality of the DEA. As far as the PPP is concerned the opening of that office is plain and simple harassment and victimization of the PPP.
DEA Office to be up and running with permanent staff by January 2016.
This is why they installed PNC to rule over majority Guyanese.
They get this done without an argument from their installed puppets.
Next move for US is to set up their military training base along the border with Venezuela and the Brits will get their patch of land in Guyana too to conduct their live round ammunition training.