DeVry Institute of Technology Graduate James Singh Rehired As Head Of CANU After Firing By APNU+AFC

The Former Head of Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh, has been rehired as the new head by way of his reinstatement by The Ministry of Home Affairs under the government of Guyana. 

James Singh was removed from this position in 2017 under the APNU+AFC administration after serving since 2008 under the PPP/C government. 

“It feels good to be back,” said Sigh. 

Singh’s contract came to an end after a Commission of Inquiry (COI) was conducted into circumstances surrounding the interception, detention, and the release of a nameless private maritime vessel that was linked to a drug bust. Four Guyanese nationals were arrested near Suriname at sea amidst a drug bust that seized US$71.7 million worth of cocaine. 

It was reported that during Singh’s role as the head of CANU, his leadership came into question due to his relationships with various scandals over his tenure. Through his term, he defended seizures and never confirmed if confiscated items were often returned. 

In April 2014, Brigadier David Granger, former commander of the Guyana Defense Force and President, stated that Guyana was becoming a “Narco-State” with the rise of European organized crime and the role Guyana was playing as a transit nation.

“Guyana is sleepwalking, step by step, into narco-statehood,” reported the Guyana Times.

“Narco-trafficking is the engine of growth that is driving the country’s economy,” said Granger.

Mr. Granger added that the Guyana drug traffickers have links with Gambino and the Bob Banano mob in New York, along with Italy’s most powerful mafia organization, the ‘Ndrangheta.’

The fact is that the PPP/C government has always downplayed the drug trafficking situation in Guyana. According to Amnesty International, “they acted as enforcers for Khan’s organization, torturing, ‘disappearing’ and killing more than 200 people between 2002 and 2006.”

In 2008 James was selected by the PPP/C over applicants with more applicable skills and expertise to lead CANU. Singh’s resume indicated that he was the holder of a Diploma in Public Safety and Security Management having achieved an International Diploma from the University of Guyana and Cambridge International College, along with a Diploma in Electronics from the DeVry Institute of Technology. 

The PPP/C thought it fit to replace him over applicants who were seasoned military veterans, with national badges of honor and thousands of man hours defending the country’s borders and fighting crime at the local level. 

During the eight-year leadership under James Singh, there was very little in the way of drug busts initiated by CANU and hardly any strategies undertaken by this unit to discourage illegal activity.