The Ministry of Citizenship has not received any information regarding the deportation of convicted Drug Trafficker, Shaheed “Roger” Khan. At least this is according to Minister of Citizenship, Winston Felix.
Today marks one week since Khan was last expected to arrive in Guyana and Felix says that only when Khan comes, can the local immigration department get involved.
He noted that currently, Khan is in the custody of the United States (US) Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), and our local immigration authority has no connection with that entity.
“When he comes then the [Guyana] Immigration Department will be involved. Right now, he is under the US Immigration, ICE. Right? So, we have no connection or relationship with ICE, with respect to anybody who is outside of Guyana; in the United States or elsewhere. When they notify us that they’re coming, then we prepare to receive.” Felix said.
The minister’s comments of the department not having any connection or relationship with ICE differs from comments made just last week by the Director-General of the Ministry of the Presidency, Joseph Harmon.
At the post-Cabinet press briefing, Harmon said that both officials at the Ministry of Public Security and the Guyana Police Force (GPF), are in contact with the US entity responsible for deportation.
Harmon said too that the delay in Khan’s arrival might have been as a result of Hurricane Dorian which, at that time, was wreaking havoc in The Bahamas and moving on up the US coast.
“My understanding is that there was some problem in Florida, where there was this Hurricane Dorian that created some problems with the facility in which they [person to be deported] were [in] and therefore, there had to be some movement of the persons, who were in that facility. That might have affected the timely return to Guyana,” Harmon said.
Khan, according to previous media reports, was released from a US prison several months ago, after spending 15 years for narcotics trafficking.
Reports indicate that in the period 2003-2006, Khan had set up a criminal network in Guyana, which was said to have included active policemen and a number of former ranks.
He was caught in Suriname back in 2006 while he was reportedly fleeing local police, and was subsequently handed over to the U.S. authorities to face drug-trafficking charges.
The Bharrat Jagdeo-led administration had continually denied any involvement with Khan after he went public in an advertisement in the local media, claiming to have been tackling crime on behalf of the regime. Khan had also implicated former Health Minister Dr Leslie Ramsammy. Documents bearing Ramsammy’s signature authorising the purchase of a wire-tapping device were produced in U.S. courts during Khan’s trial.
