Vincy Pac a punch on ganja fields

Operation Vincy Pac has been hailed a huge success and is set to leave a deep dent in the profitability of the marijuana trade in the immediate future.{{more}}

In a speech last Friday, May 29th, at the end of the two-week operation, Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves declared war against drug dealers.

He said that when he was a practicing lawyer, he defended some drug dealers in the court, but now as Prime Minister and the Minister of National Security, he stands opposed to them.

“As Prime Minister and Minister of National Security, I have taken a solemn oath, and now, I am the lawyer, I am in the adversarial business against the criminals, but on behalf of the people who elected me,” he said to the obvious delight of the hundreds of Vincy Pac law enforcement officials, gathered at the Old Montrose Police Station.

“I am the one who will pursue those vagabonds until they do not exist anymore,” he added.

He announced that a total of over 8.5 million marijuana plants, including 7.3 million seedlings had been destroyed and 30 persons had been arrested during operation Vincy Pac.

“They are going to have a problem with the next crop,” he jabbed.

Additionally, twelve firearms and 395 rounds of ammunition were also recovered during the intense operation that included military personnel from the seven Regional Security Systems (RSS) member countries and Trinidad and Tobago.

While the opposition New Democratic Party in their newspaper column last week expressed concern about the economic ramifications of the marijuana eradication exercise, the Prime Minister said that Vincy Pac is part of the overall process of building the Caribbean Civilization.

“We in this Caribbean are part of a noble civilization… (a) Caribbean civilization which is authentic and legitimate and has a further trajectory for enhanced ennoblement,” he said.

“The drug traffickers, the gun toters, and those who want to destroy young minds and communities, their conduct is antithetical to the construction of a Caribbean civilization,” he added.

“Operation ‘Vincy Pac’ is more evidence that the Minister of National Security (Dr Gonsalves) and the Commissioner of Police (Keith Miller) have failed in their responsibilities,” however, charged the NDP in their newspaper article.

“It is an acceptable fact that quite a substantial number of people in SVG (St Vincent and the Grenadines) are dependant on the proceeds from marijuana cultivation for their survival…we are living in a small country, and to determine whether or not people benefit in any way from marijuana cultivation does not take the qualifications of a rocket scientist or a brain surgeon, “ the column stated, with a vow that an NDP government will offer alternatives to people to prevent them from taking up that illegal lifestyle.

Dr Gonsalves, however, said that he is not interested in the economic benefits of marijuana and reiterated his plan to launch a “well funded” alternative sustainable livelihood project, to assist in providing the necessary aid to those who wish to pursue a life other than the illegal drug trade.

“I have no interest in exporting ganja to Barbados. We have an interest in exporting nurses…” he said. (KJ)