Signing the agreement were (left to right) Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Kurshid Sattaur; United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Regional Manager for the Container Control Programme, Troels Vester; US Ambassador, Brent Hardt and Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee.

Guyana on Monday became the first Caribbean country to sign on to a global system to combat the trafficking of drugs, guns and other items inside shipping containers.

Funded by the United States (US) to the amount of US$500,000, the project will entail the creation of an inter-agency unit involving the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU), officials said.

United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime’s Regional Manager for the Container Control Programme, Troels Vester said the system would involve a team of analysts and inspectors who would execute their duties with minimum disruption.

“…who are trained and equipped to work together to systematically target high-risk containers, using risk analysis and other proactive techniques with the minimal disruption to free flow of legitimate trade,” he said.

Suriname is scheduled to sign a similar agreement on Wednesday.

Vester said a two-week training programme would be conducted for Guyanese and Surinamese officers from October 1 to 12.

Following the awarding of diplomas, the units in both countries would begin operations on October 15 at John Fernandes wharf, Georgetown and a designated location in Suriname

Home Affairs Minister, Clement Rohee recalled that Guyana’s involvement in the Container Control Programme was partly due to the role played by the Caribbean Community Implementation Agency for Crime and Security

Vester said Jamaica, the Dominican Republic and Trinidad and Tobago are expected to establish similar multi-agency units.

He credited Guyana with being the first country in the world to have reviewed and approved the establishment of a Container Control Programme since the first mission here in mid-May.

United States Ambassador to Guyana, Brent Hardt noted that the Container Control Programme would help the South American country intercept potential terrorist activities, combat smuggling of goods and tax evasion and choke the smuggling of chemical precursors for narcotic production and illicit drugs.

“This programme will help develop a global network that builds the capacity for Guyana’s law enforcement bodies to combat transnational crime and drug trade,” said Hardt.

The UNODC credits the Container Control Programme with cracking down in the shipments of illicit drugs and other items in Ecuador, Panama, Costa Rica and Paraguay.

Guyana is regarded as a major transhipment point for South American cocaine to the Caribbean, North America and Europe.