Ministry of Presidency protecting fuel smugglers – Jagdeo

Apr 19, 2017 News, http://www.kaieteurnewsonline....el-smugglers-jagdeo/

The opposition leader Bharrat Jagdeo said that since the APNU/AFC government took office there has been an emergence of three huge fuel smuggling gangs that he alleges is being supported by the government.

Jagdeo said that his party has brought this matter to the attention of the ruling administration but nothing has been done. He said that one gang consists of businessmen that are sympathetic to the Alliance for Change and others, while the second gang which is headed by a prominent lawyer who is also the relative of a top government official and the third gang by people who Jagdeo claimed are known.

He said the members of this alleged third gang have recently acquired licenses to import fuel and this was written about in the mainstream media. Towards this end, the former head of state admonished the media to ‘throw some rocks in the bushes’.

Jagdeo is of the view that this issue is not being ventilated in the media and asked that the fourth estate check what is happening on the local wharfs; since according to him fuel smuggling is rife and is at an all time high in the history of Guyana.

The economist frowns on the idea of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) is going after people in the interior for fuel smuggling when there is much going on in the Capital city.

To validate his claim Jagdeo made reference to a recent bust of 38 drums of illegal fuel seized and the alleged gang of three that he said is operating with impunity and has the protection of the Ministry of Presidency.

When Jagdeo was asked if he had approached the government formally on the issue, he said that he made the call for an investigation at one of his press conferences.

He said that he was sure that the president heard his call and in fact, he Jagdeo later learnt that an investigation was ongoing into the matter. The opposition leader said that he was hopeful that the investigations would have yielded results but they (investigations) bore no fruit.

According to Jagdeo, the gangs are very huge and are marauding with the executive squarely in their corner.

It was only recently that the Guyana Energy Agency (GEA), with support from the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), conducted an operation in the Mahaica area, seizing two boats of illegal fuel.

According to GEA, during the course of the operation, officers observed two boats, linked together, containing several drums in the area of Helena Number One.

The agency said that the occupants of the vessels refused to comply with instructions issued by the officers for them to come ashore.
However, shortly after, they abandoned the vessels by jumping into the river and escaping.

Efforts by officials to pursue them proved futile.

A public spirited citizen assisted by swimming and pulling the boats ashore. Upon retrieving the vessels, it was discovered that there were efforts by the occupants to sink the larger of the two vessels.

The officials discovered 38 drums containing fuel estimated to be 1,900 gallons.

Field tests carried out by GEA’s inspectors revealed that the fuel was illegal as the marker concentration was below the legal level.

As a result, all 38 drums of fuel were seized along with both vessels, an outboard engine and a gasoline powered pump. Investigation into the incident is ongoing, GEA said.