Suriname, Guyana to share information on known smugglers

Jun 02, 2009 News

The controversy between Guyana and Suriname over the Corentyne River, is posing a problem for the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) to effectively curb smuggling activities between the two countries.

Commissioner General of the GRA, Khurshid Sattaur, said that as a result of the territorial dispute, the organisation is unable to pursue smugglers into the river, since many of them are aware of this dispute, and are now moving to different locations to land smuggled goods.

To this end, the Commissioner General and other local GRA officials, recently met with their counterparts from the Surinamese customs administration, and established bilateral relations to address the issue of smuggling of goods and border control.

According to a release from the GRA, the two sides met on May 19, in Nieuw Nickerie, Suriname.

Sattaur, said that in an effort to curb smuggling across the Guyana/Suriname border, the GRA will be expanding the operations of its Law Enforcement and Investigation Division, and the Intelligence and Risk Management Division.

Among the activities that will engage the attention, the divisions are gathering information on known smugglers in the Corentyne area; surveillance exercises to intercept smuggled goods and the monitoring of the movement of goods across the Suriname/Guyana border.

Additionally, there will be the intensification of detention and seizure of smuggled goods, as well as investigations of the tax affairs of importers or businesses that operate in the Corentyne area.

Sattaur further stated, that the GRA will continue to build on the initiatives implemented to address the territorial issue, and develop new plans to curb the illicit trade of goods in the area.

He said that both Guyana and Suriname continue to exchange information on matters of mutual interests, and are currently arranging a meeting to foster a better working relationship.