Customs Officer Refutes ComPol’s Account of Contraband Bust

In the south, Senior Customs Officer Richard Garbutt and Junior Customs Officer Jareth Tillett are among a group of seven persons who were arraigned today in respect of charges brought against them for handling contraband goods in Punta Gorda over the weekend.  On Saturday night, the men were caught red-handed as they were loading up a cargo truck on the customs compound in P.G.  A vessel had docked at the customs harbour sometime around ten p.m. and was being discharged of its contents when police descended on the location.  According to Commissioner of Police Chester Williams on Tuesday, Garbutt had given consent for businessman Donaldo Chun to import a shipment of grocery items from Guatemala.  That report, we understand, is being refuted by Garbutt who argues that that is not what transpired.  While a separate investigation is being conducted by the Customs and Excise Department, the men were taken before the Magistrate’s Court in Punta Gorda today where they were formally charged for offenses relating to the use of face masks during the illicit operation. But they were not charged with any customs offenses.   The customs dock in P.G. remains closed, as are all other border points across the country.