Our newspaper on December 10, 2003 published a report of a case before the courts wherein an accused drug trafficker was freed when the Prosecution witness declined to give testimony.

The Magistrate dismissed the case when the Prosecution witness, a U.S. citizen serving a three-year jail term for drug trafficking, declined to divulge information on the offender because she feared for her life, both in Guyana and in her native United States, if she testified.

This tells a story that certainly needs further investigation. It tells us that the drug lords in Guyana are dangerous and will kill if anyone threatens their empire.

Clearly, someone got to the Prosecution witness while she was in jail, as it appears from all the circumstances of the case that she was originally willing to give evidence against a person allegedly guilty of conspiring with her to smuggle cocaine out of Guyana and into the United States.

There needs to be a thorough investigation of this case and to find out when and where the drug trafficker was contacted and threatened.

Also, there should be some way of guaranteeing her safety so that she could give the evidence that the Prosecutor expected. Other countries have means of protecting witnesses, so vital in weeding out criminals and getting convictions. We in Guyana should establish a similarly effective witness protection system.

This case, which we reported on, and it appears that no other newspaper reporting on it carried this vital information, tells us much more than this specific court matter.

It confirms what is a general perception - that we have a real drug problem in Guyana and that the drug lords seem to have strong cover. Only the small men and women - the mules - get caught.

We have strong legislation to cover money laundering, by which means the drug lords invest their ill-gotten gains in legitimate business projects. But the authorities so far have not arrested anyone in the top echelons of the drug trade.

There have been two big discoveries abroad of drug dealings - the United Kingdom cocaine-in-timber-ship haul and the New York airline drug racket. But so far, although these concern drug running from Guyana, we have not heard of any arrests of local drug criminals.

At large are the drug lords who have covered their tracks well. Or so they think.