The Customs and Excise Department on welcomes state-of-the-art technology which will assist them in detecting the entry of illegal drugs on-island.
The Ministry of Health, Wellness, and Elderly Affairs and the Organization of American States have launched an Early Warning System (EWS) in Saint Lucia. The network, a multi-agency network, will enhance inter-agency communication, provide timely alerts, and improve intervention strategies for public health and safety. The system will involve clinical practitioners, forensic experts, national security, border agencies, and community-based organizations.
Assistant Customs Comptroller responsible for Enforcement, Kosygin Frederick, explained that this new technological system adds a scientific form of identification which has not been used before. He noted that the Department welcomed the initiative and resources will be managed effectively to achieve the desired results.
“This initiative is a long-awaited one, because it will allow us to gather the information that we would need in order for us to be able to carry out our duties in terms of intercepting and detecting drugs. We now have something in place where we could rely on something more scientific,” he said.
Frederick says the Department is making strides in its stopping the illegal entry of drugs and narcotics into the country. “We’ve been able to identify a lot of the hot spots – well, when I say hot spots, areas where those imports would be frequently coming from. I don’t want to say too much in that regard. However, yes, we have been making some good strides.”
Earlier this year, the United States government imposed restrictions on exporting firearms to some CARICOM countries, Jamaica and Trinidad and Tobago.
The Customs official says that despite restrictions being levied, criminals will find alternative means of meeting their objectives.
“Like anything else, when you put in restrictions and prohibitions, criminals get more creative in the ways that they would import or cause items to be imported,” he said.
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