Customs reports record $70M bust
-- Trawler, Heineken beers seized
Guyana Chronicle
March 11, 2007
THE Enforcement and Intelligence Division of the Customs and Trade Administration of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has seized more than $70M in goods in what the authority is calling the biggest operation in the history of Customs.
The GRA said several persons will be prosecuted as a result of the bust.
The authority said it involved the seizure of the MV Lady Kimberly, a modified fibre-glass trawler, a 14-foot long aluminium boat equipped with a 15 hp engine, three enclosed Canter trucks (GGG 9426, registered to G. Stephens, GJJ 6259 and GJJ 5232) a mini-bus and a car.
More than 4,000 cases of Heineken, 500 cases of assorted liquor, such as Grey Goose, Bailey’s, Tequila, Hennessey, Absolute Vodka (assorted), Black Label Whisky, Johnny Walker Whisky, and more than 300 cases of Red Bull were among the seized items.
The GRA said the goods were believed to be for ‘high-ranking’ businessmen and were shipped from St Maarten.
Customs Enforcement Officials, Gavin De Jong and Ramnarine Makardajh, said the operation began during the early hours of February 14, following intelligence that there was a vessel containing smuggled goods moored at Rambarran’s wharf, Land of Canaan, East Bank Demerara.
The GRA said that when the officers arrived, some of the goods had already been offloaded from the vessel which made off in a bid to escape.
However, the enforcement team pursued the vessel and intercepted it while it was in hiding behind an island further south in the Demerara River, the authority said.
According to the GRA, the vessel was registered to Gopie, a known businessman, who produced evidence that it had been sold to Reginald Baichand, known as ‘Reggie’.
It said that following the apprehension of the vessel and the arrest of its crew, Captain Umbar Angad, and Delroy Samaroo, Shawn Ali and Madu, the vessel was taken to the John Fernandes Limited (JFL) wharf, where it was completely discharged in the presence of the Captain and crew.
“The Captain signed a Notice of Seizure which was issued for the items on board, acknowledging that the amount was correct”, the GRA reported.
A search in the Land of Canaan area, it said, led to the discovery of the mini-bus and car which were linked to the illegal shipment.
The GRA said the goods are secured in two Customs containers at a city wharf along with the three Canters.
The Captain of the vessel is likely to be prosecuted shortly and the items will be sold through a bidding process, it said.