An intelligence-driven operation by Customs officials in St Vincent has uncovered widespread import fraud, triggering a major internal corruption investigation into potential collusion within the department. The surprise enforcement action, dubbed “Operation Shake Up,” was launched following intelligence reports detailing systematic discrepancies in import filings.
The St Vincent Times understands that the operation involved a hand-picked team of officers who conducted a rigorous 100% examination of assorted grocery shipments arriving from Trinidad.
According to the sources, the unexpected scrutiny was met with visible frustration from several traffickers who had expected their standard, under-reported declarations to pass through the port without being checked.
Upon physical verification of the cargo, officials discovered that the actual volume and quantity of goods were in stark violation of the submitted paperwork.
This meticulous search revealed massive amounts of “excess inventory” that had been intentionally omitted from official entries, representing a direct contravention of the Customs (Control and Management) Act, 1999.
The financial consequences for those attempting to evade duties have been described as severe, the St Vincent Times understands. In one notable instance, an importer who had initially declared a shipment value of somewhere between $7,000 to $8, 000 was made to pay a total of just over $39,000 in adjusted duties and taxes once the true volume of the goods was realized.
On top of the adjusted payments, the St Vincent Times learnt that the offender was hit with an additional $5,000 – $7000 penalty for making a false declaration.
The scale of the irregularities uncovered during the operation has raised serious concerns regarding internal integrity.
The Office of the Comptroller has officially launched a formal investigation into potential collusion between Customs officials and shipping traffickers.
Authorities are currently investigating whether internal parties facilitated these under-declarations to systematically evade national revenue collection.
One official told the St Vincent Times that this crackdown marks a decisive shift toward more aggressive border security and serves as a clear warning to those attempting to bypass regulations, as heightened vigilance and strict enforcement are now being prioritized to ensure full compliance with import laws, to protect the country’s national revenue.
