Frustrated CANU ranks question senior officer's credibility

Kaieteur News news item, Saturday 12 September 2009 - "Frustrated CANU ranks question senior officer's credibility" - http://www.kaieteurnewsonline.com/2009/09/12/frustrated-canu-ranks-question-senior-officer%e2%80%99s-credibility/


Ranks of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) are expressing frustration and are questioning the credibility of a senior officer. This comes following several alleged orders to stand down, when matters involved persons purported to be known drug dealers in Guyana.
The most recent incident was sparked yesterday when four units of about 16 ranks swooped down on a Queenstown residence.
They allege that they had received information about a businessman from the DEA in the USA about six months ago and had been conducting surveillance since then.
Yesterday, when the four units surrounded the building, they were met with heavy grill work and reported that they then spoke with persons in the building who refused to allow them entrance to the property to conduct their search for illicit drugs and possible narcotics.
They said when they finally got to speak to the businessman, he telephoned CANU and allegedly spoke with a senior officer, and they subsequently received a call directing them to stand down and remove from the premises.
They told this publication that about 45 minutes after they left the premises, four vehicles arrived and removed a quantity of items to an unknown destination.
This move, they indicated, was the basis of their frustration, and they have expressed confusion that they had the information but were ordered to remove from the premises by the senior officer, after six months of surveillance.
They said, too, that such developments have taken place on several occasions since the employment of the senior officer.
Kaieteur News contacted the named senior officer of the unit, yesterday, and he confirmed that “we did have an operation but someone is trying to create mischief by playing mind games.”
He admitted that he did pass an order to ranks to step down and return to base, but said that “we don’t operate with the DEA and I can’t offer any operation information to compromise the ranks either.”
When told about the many allegations levelled, he said that after the ranks returned he did have a debriefing session with them, but is not aware of anything else as “no one told me anything.”