Keon Pryce

CUSTOMS Officer, Keon Pryce, at the centre of a probe by the Police into the questionable release of a shipment of smuggled `Polar, beer seized last Friday at Met-en-Meerzorg, West Coast Demerara, has surfaced.
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According to the source, the statement has given a new twist to the incident, as Pryce, though acknowledging that he was at the Leonora Police Station in relation to the issue, denied that he uplifted anything.

The source added that due to a ,grave, lapse, the Station Sergeant at the Leonora Station did not ensure that Pryce affix his signature as uplifting the vehicle and a Canter truck GJJ 4865 with the smuggled beer, and taking away the four suspects.
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The Police release Tuesday stated that a physical check of the beer was conducted in Pryce,s presence and he departed for the city under the pretext that he was escorting the truck with the beer along with the suspects.

Police said some of suspects sat in the same car that Pryce entered.

According to police, at about 20:00h that day, a known Customs Officer, Keon Pryce, Patrol Officer 11 attached to the Customs Boat House, arrived at the Leonora Police Station and stated that he was there to uplift the seized Polar Beer, truck and prisoners.

At 21:05h, after a physical check of the beer was conducted in Pryce,s presence, he departed en route to Georgetown escorting the truck containing the beer along with the suspects, some of whom joined the car that Pryce entered and drove behind the truck which headed east, police said.

,The whereabouts of Pryce are not known as the Customs Department is trying to locate him,, a police statement said.

Police said they have an investigation into the irregularity of the handing over of the seized goods to a Customs Officer without prior notification by a senior official of the Customs Department.A manhunt has also been launched for Pryce, police said.

Customs Patrol Officer Keon Pryce has denied being involved in the irregular release and escorting of a truckload of seized polar beer and suspects being held at the Leonora Police Station and he gave a statement yesterday to the police.

Oh MyLast Friday at 3.15 pm, a party of policemen seized 1,130 cases of Polar Beer which was being loaded into a canter GGG 4865 that was owned and driven by Duean Boston at Meten-Meer-Zorg, West Coast Demerara.

The Police launched a hunt for Pryce after investigating the irregular handing over of seized goods to a customs officer without prior notification by a senior official of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).

Speaking to this newspaper yesterday, Pryce, refuting the Police statement, said that he did not sign any documents giving him possession of the items nor did he escort the items and suspects anywhere as Police at Leonora are maintaining.

According to Pryce, while driving along the West Coast he was stopped by someone who asked if he could intercede on their behalf at the station.He said that he went into the station to see what the matter was and he realised that nothing could have been done for the person whose truck and beer were seized.

According to the Police, at around 8 pm on Friday, Customs Officer Pryce, a Patrol Officer attached to the Customs Boathouse arrived at the Leonora Police Station and stated that he was there to uplift seized polar beer, the truck and prisoners.

It said too that at around 9.05 the same night after a physical check was done of the beer in his presence, Pryce departed en-route to Georgetown escorting the canter containing the beer along with the suspects, some of whom joined the car that Pryce entered and drove behind the truck which headed east.

Customs Officer, Keon Pryce, at the centre of a probe by the Police into the questionable release of a shipment of smuggled 'Polar' beer seized last Friday ...