On Monday, February 18th 2019, the Office of National Drug and Money Laundering Control Policy (ONDCP) conducted a counter-narcotic operation in the Golden Grove area which resulted in the detention of Desmond Lewis, a Customs Officer of four and half years.
Mr. Lewis who is from Jennings was arrested after ONDCP Officers conducted a search of his vehicle and found slightly over one (1 lb) of Cannabis.
The estimated wholesale value of the drug is Four Thousand, Five Hundred EC Dollars (ECD $4,500.00). Additionally, an amount of approximately Five Thousand, Eight Hundred and Fifty EC Dollars (ECD $5,850.00) was seized. He has been charged with “Possession” and “Possession with Intent to Supply”.
Ongoing counter-narcotic operations conducted in the Bolans area, resulted in Laurie Kenroy Marshall of Jennings being apprehended. Mr Marshall in an attempt to evade apprehension by officers of the ONDCP was shot in the leg as a result driving dangerously, threatening an Officer’s safety. Four (4) packages of cannabis were also found in the vehicle in which he was driving. Mr. Marshall is presently warded in a stable condition at the Mount St. John Medical Centre and upon his discharge will assist the ONDCP with their continued investigations.
Mr. Marshall is known to Law Enforcement, locally and internationally and has been previously convicted of several drug related offences.
Advertise with the mоѕt vіѕіtеd nеwѕ ѕіtе іn Antigua!
We offer fully customizable and flexible digital marketing packages.
Contact us at [email protected]
Rastaman January 16, 2019 at 4:36 pm
ONDCP
1 WHO WAS THE CUSTOMS OFFICER THAT CHECKED THAT BARREL?
2 WHEN WAS THE BARREL CHECKED?
3 CHECK BANK ACCOUNTS FOR OFFICERS INVOLVED INCLUDING THEIR CLOSE GIRL FRIENDS, MAN FRIENDS ETC .
4 HOW MANY BARRELS HAS THIS PERSON CLEARED FROM CUSTOMS AND CHECK WHO THE CUSTOMS OFFICERS WERE THAT WAS ON DUTY ON EACH OCCASION.
5 THE HEAD OF CUSTOMS MUST ISSUE A REPORT TO THE PUBLIC ABOUT THIS BARREL SEEMS AS IF HE IS NOT IN CONTROL…
NEWSECONOMY
Customs Revenues At An All-Time High
January 2, 2019 9
The Customs Division made more money in 2018 than it has since its inception, Comptroller of Customs Raju Buddo has confirmed.
He said the division recorded revenues of EC$ 389 million, a new record.
But Buddo said that figured fell slightly short of the EC$ 400 million projected.
He said the division saw a slump in its revenue in November due to decreased imports.
Despite falling below projections, the comptroller said 2018 revenues surpassed that of 2017 by 18 million dollars.
He is commending the staff and crediting the new ASYCUDA system for the increase in revenue.
The electronic system was implemented last year.
“This is highest collected revenue in the history of Antigua and Barbuda,” the customs boss boasted.
The 2019 goal in EC$ 400 million.
Previous article
Minister Sees Improvements In EMS
Next article
Forty Million Dollars To Repair Schools – PM
9 COMMENTS
tedashnomics January 2, 2019 at 11:50 pm
Only in Antigua can a top technician make such public statement and get away with it even when both Ministerial Heads responsible Finance are Economist . Firstly Mr. radju global prices have risen over the year 2018 , hence cif values must increase as well . An increase in cif values ceterus paribus would lead to higher revenue .. secondly the economy is expected to grow at around 4.5 percent in 2018 which would imply that the base (imports) must be expanding as well . moreover it is widely expected that indirect taxes are bouyant or should i say elastic which means that for a given change in the tax base we should expect a more than proportionate change in the revenue collected . eg if we use an elasticy of 1.1 ie marginally above unitary and a growth rate of 4.5 percent and inflation rate of 1 percent revenues for 2018 should total at 430 million. concession are held constant unless u can show that in 2018 concession was 41 million higher than in 2017. so before u give cedit to ur staff and assycuda , take time and analyze the data properly ..
Reply
JP Farnsworth January 3, 2019 at 9:24 am
Spot on just add on the fact they switched software. Previous software was bleeding money by miscalculating. Jamaica created the old software and they stopped using it almost 2 years before Antigua because they realized they had lost nearly 9 million US dollars. We finally switched to a software being used by the majority of other countries supplied by the UN for free. That correction alone showed a major jump in collections just by correcting the accounting, and allowing for more efficient processing methods that the old software did not allow for. All the supposed improvements to customs are not new, they are just processes we could not manage with the old system. What’s really good is that the new system makes it difficult for persons to fudge entries.. Now if they would only publish the duty rates so we could all see them.
Reply
tenman January 3, 2019 at 2:44 pm
you do realize that ASYCUDA went live October 2016,? Boss it was not freely provided. A 2013 OMG article put the price tag at 1.3 million USD (see US $1.3 million for Customs to go back to old system, Dec 2013). They failed to raise the funds which the ABLP admin was later able to raise. CIP helped pay for it. You need only check the reports on the CIP website to see this
Reply
the_real_rastaman January 3, 2019 at 3:34 am
I am happy to see Antigua having senior-level multi-cultural government executives, which reflects the idea that Antigua can be a global nation, not just a regional one. If we can attract leading talent from around the world (regardless of race or creed) to locate and build their life in Antigua, then we have an excellent future ahead for us. Thank you for your government service Mr. Buddo!
Reply
Whatever January 3, 2019 at 10:26 am
Even if you did nothing the Port Revenue would increase. Nothing to brag about here.
Reply
Hill January 3, 2019 at 11:18 am
Tell me there were more tourist arrivals and much taxes were collected from the hotels but dont be too happy for squeezing more sweat from residents at the port because most of that money importers paid out was basically added to the cost of consumer goods, added to the foods at the supermarket etc simply causing an increase in cost of living and inflation, the residents indirectly paying for that and so we have less spending power when you take more from our pockets at the port.
Reply
tenman January 3, 2019 at 6:52 pm
Hill you do realize that foods and such for the guests come via the said port? Taxes are also collected on them. As far as tourism the numbers up to the end of Nov point to about a 10% increase (you can find them via the AHTA website, under statistics) in comparison to the year to date figure a year before. We have especially large increases from the Canadian market
Reply
Rastaman January 3, 2019 at 3:48 pm
CUSTOMS OFFICERS BANK ACCOUNTS ARE ALSO AT AN ALL TIME HIGH….
How is it possible that so many CUSTOM OFFICERS are MILLIONAIRES?
How is it possible that they can build MILLION DOLLAR HOMES FROM THEIR POCKETS HOW?
HUGE APARTMENT BUILDINGS IN PRIME LOCATIONS without having any history of owning a business, winning the lottery, or inheritance.
MR INDIAN REMEMBER THERE IS ALWAYS A MONEY TRAIL ALL OF IT IS TRACEABLE …. Where is your report on all the millionaires that you manage daily?
OPEN SECRET..
Rastaman January 3, 2019 at 3:48 pm
CUSTOMS OFFICERS BANK ACCOUNTS ARE ALSO AT AN ALL TIME HIGH….
How is it possible that so many CUSTOM OFFICERS are MILLIONAIRES?
How is it possible that they can build MILLION DOLLAR HOMES FROM THEIR POCKETS HOW?
HUGE APARTMENT BUILDINGS IN PRIME LOCATIONS without having any history of owning a business, winning the lottery, or inheritance.
MR INDIAN REMEMBER THERE IS ALWAYS A MONEY TRAIL ALL OF IT IS TRACEABLE …. Where is your report on all the millionaires that you manage daily?
OPEN SECRET..
Why didn’t the ONDCP ask this gentleman to remove the Governments uniform before they took the picture. It is wrong to have done this. Croft yall putting the customs department in unnecessary bad light. If yall indeed found him with the drug and charge him. He’s not guilty as yet in the court of law.
However even if he’s guilty in the court of public opinion this matter should have been handled differently but then again Lt CROFT is the Law onto himself.
I do hope if a ONDCP officer should find themself on the wrong side of the law that they wont be paraded in front a camera with a uniform that marks ONDCP. THis is utter disrespect to the men and women that works in the customs department and disrespect to all uniform bodies in this country. Its time somebody stop this madness. Yes the ONDCP have to do their work but gosh do yall need somebody to say to yall that this was improper to have the guy mugshot taken in the Governments uniform. COME ON ONDCP USE COMMENT SENSE BEFORE A RUSH TO MAKE A BAD SITUATION WORST. THEN AGAIN COMMON SENSE TO THAT LAW ENFORCEMENT BODY IS NOT COMMON AT ALL. PURE ARROGANCE BUT AS OLD PEOPLE SAY WHAT IN THE ROOT IS WHAT IN THE BRANCH. IF THE SENIOR IS ARROGANT THEN SO IS THE JUNIORS. One bag of arrogance from a man that just pompous and foolish. nobody at all could have say let the guy remove the governments uniform before his mugshot was taken?
I can only assume your comments were made tongue in cheek!
You can’t be serious with these comments.
Seems as if you are the benficiary of such misdeeds. So let me put reason to your madness. A was caught with drugs while wearing the uniform of his place of employment and you are saying the authorities should have allowed him to change his clothes then take his mug shot? This world has really been turned upside down. If he had any pride in his workplace then maybe he should not have done such illegal act wearing same. How about that?
Well, the PM said find “creative ways to enrich yourself” so the customs officer is am example that he his following what the leader said so the picture taken in the government uniform for all too see. Follow da leader leader leader leader follow da leader.
Smh
yes the PM said creative, but he also said legal ways. So if you you want to be creative and illegal than that is your choice
I’m guessing this young man has no connection to the Lodge. If he did, no way he would be exposed like this.
Hmmmm this tea is pippin hot
It is a known fact that customs corrupt and majority of its officers are putting themselves at risk in the name of the almighty dollar!!! In my view a probe needs to be launched and auditors ought to be hired to conduct a full scale audit of the entire department of customs.
I thought ASYCUDA was supposed to reduce/eliminate all the shady dealings?
Top brass in the ONDCP at log meeting one night and hours later they are serving Communion at a church in fort road
which CHURCH?? Which church can OPENLY condone such Beelzebub-type behaviour??
There seem to be a constant turf war going on between the Police and the ONDCP. I am not too certain why ONDCP is always so hasty to publicize their exploits that before the police can formally make an arrest and ink charges, they re always quick to come out with their release and even resorting to peoples Facebook page in order to get a picture to publicly name and shame their catch. This practice must stop and it is a burning shame that a picture of this gentleman is posted in his uniform as part of their news release. ONDCP is bring the good name of all the other decent Customs Officers into disrepute and this is wrong. ONDCP Head seem to be a law unto himself and he ought to be rained in. I am sick and tired of ONDCP issuing press release and releasing pics of suspects before the police have formally done their work. Whether guilty or not, the ONDCP should apologize to the suspect, his family and to the customs depart for such a silly and downright horrible display.
Don’t you know there are some “untouchables” in Antigua? What I want to know is if a Freemason is caught with narcotics, will Croft turn a blind eye at his Hiram Abiff brother or will he deal justly with him. In such a case, will Croft be loyal to JUSTICE or loyal to ring-wearers of the compass and the square.
Two guilty before proven? What a place!
Waiting to see one get punish and which get a slap on the wrist or complete exoneration.
We need a two strike and you’re out for dem people caught in drug or violence.
So a man allegedly do wrong and rather than spank him on the “wrist” the most some can do is to criticize the office that caught him in the act! This world I tell you!
Comments are closed.