Agri Ministry distances itself from Wanted former Protocol Officer

The Ministry of Agriculture on Saturday distanced itself from its former Protocol Officer and Personal Assistant to the Junior Agriculture Minister who is now wanted by the police in connection with Friday’s VIP drug bust at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

While the police and airport officials gave the wanted man’s name as Kenneth Jones, the Ministry of Agriculture said his name is Kenroy Joseph and he was in the employ of the Ministry from January 2012 to June, 2014.

According to the Ministry’s statement, Joseph served as the Personal Assistant to Minister within the Ministry of Agriculture Ali Baksh up until he resigned from his post in 2014. The Ministry said he was not authorized since then to provide any protocol services for the Minister or any government officials.

Police investigators believe that the man, Kenroy Joseph is the same Kenneth Jones who provided the airport with a bogus letter and gained access to the vip lounge for two cocaine carrying passengers.

The two were busted on Friday with over 40 pounds of cocaine as they waited in the vip area to board their Toronto bound flight. They are both expected to face drug trafficking charges in the courts this week.

The former Personal Assistant has not been seen since. News Source understands that before he began working at the Ministry of Agriculture, the man worked at the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit and was stationed at the airport.

“He was well known to the airport staff members and other drug enforcement officers, so it was never strange to see him at the airport interacting with them even when he changed jobs”, a source familiar with the investigation said.

Officials at the Cheddi Jagan Airport were reportedly unaware that the man was no longer in the employ of the Agriculture Ministry. He was seen at the airport on a number of occassions since last June, gaining access to the vip area with outgoing passengers.

This latest incident has raised concern once again about the security at the airport.

Filed: 1st February, 2015