APNU urges fortifying of borders in wake of narco-sub find

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APNU Member of Parliament Winston Felix
APNU Member of Parliament Winston Felix

Following the discovery of the self-propelled semi-submersible (SPSS) craft in Region One on Thursday last, A Partnership for National Unity (APNU) Security Spokesperson Winston Felix is calling on Government to strengthen the presence of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) at the country’s borders.

Speaking with Guyana Times International on Monday, Felix said such a vessel points to the presence of international drug mafias in the country. He said Government needs to strengthen border security.

“The GDF [Guyana Defence Force] should have been deployed there, but they weren’t, so there was a gap available and enough space for these people to engage in such illegal activities,” he stated.

The former Police Commissioner pointed out that Government should have recognised that the North West District is probably the country’s most vulnerable area; hence, they should implement systems to have GDF presence there, along with the necessary resources to strengthen their operations.

“Government needs to pay attention to the porous borders,” he said.

Felix opined that such a submersible vessel is only used to conceal the shipment of narcotics, particularly cocaine around the region. He lauded the organisations for their diligent work in intercepting the vessel; however, he noted that there is no telling of how long the illegal activity has been going on there or whether any such craft was built before.

The APNU Member of Parliament (MP) said since the interception of the cocaine in coconut milk by Malaysian authorities, his party had maintained that there are high profile drug trafficking activities in Guyana and added that the discovery of this vessel only confirms this.

“The submersible vessel means the bad company is still with us…”

The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) in a release last week said that the craft found in Region One was blue and was already fitted with a diesel engine and steering wheel, navigation and other machinery to deem it serviceable. However, no contraband was onboard the SPSS.

CANU, along with Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Special Forces, Coast Guard and Air Corps, acting on intelligence from an ongoing investigation, conducted an operation along the Waini River.

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