GRA says police report on seized beer excludes controversial transaction: March 13, 2007
The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is concerned about the inaccuracies and irregularities contained in a report issued by the Guyana Police Force (GPF) as published in today’s Chronicle and Kaieteur News newspapers.

According to the Chronicle, the police were “hunting a Customs Officer after a seized shipment of beer and several detained men disappeared.”
Reports from the Customs Enforcement Unit revealed that Enforcement Officials from the Unit were on an operation in the Hogg Island area last Friday, where they seized three vessels containing polar beer totalling 1,125 cases.

Simultaneously, they received information that a canter was held at the Leonora Police Station with a quantity of polar beer. A ‘low-key’ enforcement team was immediately dispatched “to stake out and observe the operations” at the Leonora Police Station. The Customs Officers, unknown to the Police were in the vicinity of the police station looking on at the operations and observed that the canter (GJJ 4865) was subsequently released from the police station.

The officers followed the canter and intercepted it at Anna Catherina where Duean Boston, alleged owner of Shemar Trucking Service was held for questioning and later taken to Georgetown. However, the Customs Officer pointed out that there seemed to be some irregularities since when the Customs Enforcement counted the beer only 875 cases were loaded on the canter as against 1130 reported in the Police’s General Property book.

The seized items are currently secured at a city wharf, the Enforcement Officer today reported. 
According to the Enforcement Officer, Vijay Singh came forward claiming ownership of the smuggled beer and subsequently issued a report to the Customs Department in which he stated that his retailer who was in negotiations with the Police at Leonora for the release of the goods related that he had paid $600, 000 to the Police there for the release of the canter and the beers.

This, the Enforcement Officer noted, seemed to collaborate with the observation by Customs Officers of the canter and beers being released from the police station.  
The Enforcement Officer further reported today that the police confirmed that the goods were not signed for nor officially handed over to the Customs. There is, according to the Enforcement Officer, a standard procedure for operations of such nature in which files are specially prepared and in some cases sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) who would normally forward the files to the Customs Enforcement Unit.

The Customs Enforcement Officer said, “It therefore begs the question, why was the standard procedure not followed by the Police in this instance?”  
In the meantime, the Patrol Officer for whom police said they have launched a man hunt, was today assisting them with investigations at Eve Leary. The Patrol Officer, who is attached to the Customs Boat House has issued a statement to the Enforcement Department stating that he was on his way to a private engagement in the West Demerara area when he saw his friend’s car parked at the Leonora Police Station and decided to find out what was wrong.

According to his statement, his ‘friend’ asked for his assistance but he indicated that he could not assist since the situation was out of his scope of duty.
The Customs Enforcement Officer today said that the Patrol Officer who was off duty was involved in the issue in his own capacity since he is solely responsible for the operations at the Customs Boat House and not authorised to carry out the business of the GRA in any other capacity.

The GRA insists that the investigation into the Patrol Officer’s involvement is ongoing and the necessary actions will be taken, based on the outcome of the investigation.
The GRA maintains that it will continue to enforce the laws to its fullest capacity in an effort to provide a level playing field for businesses and that any officer found colluding with businesses engaged in smuggling goods or any other irregular activity will be dealt with condignly.