America’s Caribbean arch-nemesis has finally started clearing the mess which has been bothering the nation for long. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has delivered yet another fresh blow to the United States.
According to a media report by onenewsvincent, SVG has increased and revamped its security at airports in a bid to reduce illegal gun trafficking.
Reportedly, as the government steps up efforts to combat the illegal trade in firearms, new scanners will be installed at the nation’s two major ports as well as at the Argyle International Airport.
The acquisition and installation of the new scanners are a part of a number of increased security measures by the government, according to a press release from the Agency for Public Information.
In the statement, the government of SVG has stressed that the illicit trade in small arms and light weapons poses a serious threat to citizen security, and so, Government has taken such strict measures.
In addition to the scanners at ports of entry, the Government will engage the services of a security expert commissioned to provide support for the further strengthening of the operational mechanism to combat the trade in illicit weapons.
An estimated 100 million dollars have also been allocated to the security, law, and order apparatuses of St. Vincent and the Grenadines, the release stated.
The Illegal Route
In the Caribbean, there have been reports of illegal firearms being trafficked from the United States and other countries. The porous borders between some Caribbean countries, as well as the region’s many small islands, can make it difficult to detect and interdict illegal weapons shipments.
However, as per SVG and its PM Ralph Gonsalves, airports play a crucial part in gun trafficking. Dr. Gonsalves pointed out that even though many of the operations typically involve the trade in narcotics—take place at sea, the majority of weapons enter the country in cargo containers, along with televisions and other imported goods.
And so, SVG’s Regional Security System (RSS) is now concentrating on enhancing border security and surveillance on land and at sea.
For this problem, SVG has often chastised the US for failing to control the illicit gun trafficking. Well, SVG has recently been known for taking anti-US actions. The US has come under fire from Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves for spreading false information about the Miguel Diaz-Canel administration in Cuba.
Read More:“Stop your gun war”, Saint Vincent and Grenadines’ first iconic caveat to the United States is here!
Additionally, he had stressed that once he is elected President of CELAC, he will pressure the US to take strict action against the gun trafficking that is to blame for the Caribbean gang hiatus.
The nation is grappling with the problem of a large number of illegal firearms from the US. In fact, the skyrocketing homicide rate as well as the illicit drug trade in the nation has been linked to guns exported from the US.
And now, with CELAC in hand, SVG has started to set the tone against the USA and curbing the illegal gun traffic. Ralph Gonsalves was expected to take CELAC Anti-US, to its original roots and guess what, we were not wrong at all.
It will be interesting to watch how the US will react now.
