(MENAFN- Caribbean News Global) By Caribbean News Global

CASTRIES, St Lucia – The heightened series of illegal importation of drugs and firearms infractions reportedly related to employees at Port Castries, and the resultant arrest and charges by the Royal Saint Lucia Police Force (RSLPF), speaks to the urgent need for transformational leadership. This leadership should result in improved operational management, and human resource management needed at Saint Lucia's premier port of entry.

There are too many unanswered questions which are relevant to security breaches at Port Castries and the island's trade and security infrastructure. In addition, the use of courier services reflects the deeper subject matter of trafficking in narcotics and crime syndicates operating within Saint Lucia.

And, it is not surprising too many who are not flying blind to the happenings that the underworld economy has taken hold.

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Saint Lucia Air and Seaports Authority (SLASPA) and the Customs and Excise Department are the gatekeepers to the island's ports of entry. Corruption and criminal activity within public institutions are not novel; however, they are more obvious than normal when equipped with a trained eye and industry experience.

The infiltration of employees leaves a deeper thought to opportunity, the calibre of staff, and the returns to look and/or participate beyond the call of duty in illegal operations.

SLASPA's press release on Monday said:

“The Authority continues to review its internal systems and procedures to strengthen oversight and reinforce confidence in the management of Saint Lucia's air and sea ports. SLASPA maintains a zero-tolerance policy toward any form of illegal or unethical activity within its operations.”

Consider a sample of the charge sheet of no less than four SLASPA employees – a statutory institution expected to serve the public:

• Uttering a False Document;
• Forgery;
• Fraudulent Evasion under the Customs Act;
• Importation of a Controlled Drug;
• Possession of a Controlled Drug with Intent to Supply;
• Aiding and Abetting the Importation of a Controlled Drug

According to SLASPA's statement:

“ SLASPA remains committed to ensuring that Saint Lucia's ports operate in a safe, secure, and transparent manner. We continue to work closely with our law enforcement and regulatory partners to uphold public confidence and protect the integrity of port operations.”

Hostage to fortune

The phrase“a day late and a dollar short” applies to SLASPA and the RSLPF – both are delayed and inadequate.

Case in point! Commissioner Verne Garde rehearsed last week that law enforcement has shifted its focus beyond criminal activity to the financial backbone supporting organised crime.

“We are going after the money,” Garde stated.“We will be making certain applications after the investigations to enact the forfeiture of assets legislation and try to remove some of the funds that are lucratively circulated, supporting crime and criminal activity.”

Now that's a practical joke!

Saint Lucia has no Fortune 500 company. The largest employer is the government via the civil service. Government contracts keep the place humming. Citizenship by Investment (CIP), legal practitioners and self-employed professionals carry the largest intake of wealth, next to known“community leaders,” drug barons. They live and operate in plain sight, unbothered by the RSLPF and state institutions.

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The wealth of these common-day individuals are well-known, and not bashful to flaunt it. In the name of progress and development, some institutions harness illegal financial returns and facilitate business. The Inland Revenue Department, in collaboration with the Financial Intelligence Authority (FIA), should be well aware that tax returns and audits, which should be commonplace, are questionable, and if a look back is performed, they may find incompatibility.

Meanwhile, the RSLPF seeks to reiterate“accountability and stronger internal oversight across key state agencies.” SLASPA says:“ It's dedication to maintaining the highest standards of professionalism and accountability in service to the people of Saint Lucia.”

Excepts for the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) – Caribbean Gangs 2024 reads in part:

“ The scale of recent drug seizures suggests that Saint Lucia is enmeshed in a wider transnational drug network spanning South America, the Caribbean, and North America, and Western Europe. Drugs, principally cocaine, are shipped from Colombia and Venezuela, including via Trinidad and Tobago, and often transferred to Martinique and onward to France. Drugs are also reportedly transshipped from Saint Lucia to Barbados, and on to markets in the US and UK.”

“Firearms are also commonly used in gang-related criminal violence in Saint Lucia. While traditionally acquired from drug dealers and by theft, weapons are primarily sourced from the US and enter Saint Lucia through legal ports, facilitated by weak oversight from the Customs and Excise Department. Weapons are used by gang members in larger and secondary cities, and sold on to affiliates in Martinique.”

“While relatively fewer in number than Jamaica or Trinidad and Tobago, gangs are active in Saint Lucia, several of them competing to control drug distribution. Gang activity on the island can be traced back to the 1980s, though levels of violent crime have trended upward over the past five years. Reports of gun violence in Vieux Fort and Castries often identify suspects and victims but do not name specific gangs or criminal organizations.

“There are an estimated 12-15 Saint Lucian gangs, clustered for the most part in Castries and Vieux Fort and distributed in smaller towns such as Dennery, Anse La Raye, Gros Islet, and Soufriere. Most of them are led by a single individual, are comprised of young men, ranging in age from their late teens to their 30s (there are reports describing school-aged children being recruited into gangs) and are community-based. For the most part, gun-related violence appears tends to be motivated by gang feuds and localised disputes over turf.

“More recently, however, gangs from Trinidad and Tobago, including Sixx and Rasta City, have attempted to recruit young people in Castries. There are also reports of Jamaican criminal groups operating in Saint Lucia, including packaging and trafficking drugs for international and local distribution.” ~UNODC.

Drug and firearms trafficking routes in Saint Lucia

Port Castries reform and governance

The Parastatal Monitoring Department ( PMD

A comprehensive review

Recent developments have led to worsening outcomes. The current view and outlook is a path to navigating the balance of port reform, managing complex actors and interests, governance and security, that translates into positive economic benefits for Saint Lucia.

Bearing in mind the downside risks and the upside to protecting the dependability of Port Castries, SLASPA, as a statutory body, presents the opportunity for a comprehensive review to help reshape policy and port governance towards a determined path.

@GlobalCaribbean

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