💉 Suriname is accused of being a narco state in the international drug trade

Happy Monday!

This week Suriname reached international news again as French newspaper Le Monde calls Suriname a narco state, Suriname seeks to tighten its borders, and developments happen within the timber industry.

Le Monde: Suriname is a narco State

• Le Monde exposes Colombia-Suriname-French Guiana-France drug route in a recent video published

• Suriname has 43 legal and many illegal airstrips; including 8 new illegal airstrips since 2019

• Le Monde claims that all legitimate institutions in Suriname have been penetrated by drug trade power and wealth and are embodied in former president Desi Bouterse and vice-president Ronnie Brunswijk.

• Joël Martinus 'Bordo' (good friend of Brunswijk) has been convicted in France for coordinating a network of cocaine smugglers from French Guiana.

• All these elements make Suriname, according to Le Monde, an ideal transit zone for the major smugglers. Due to the tightened drug controls in the Netherlands, they turned to smuggling routes via sea routes with the alternative air route being Félix-Éboué airport in Cayenne, France.

• Drug couriers are paid several hundred to 1,500 euros per kilogram of drugs, and there are an estimated 50 drug couriers per flight

• Amount of cocaine seized in French Guiana has increased tenfold since 2014; accounted for about 20% of total supply in France by 2022.

Timber sector in uproar

• Entrepreneurs in the timber sector are angry and considering legal actions against the State due to sudden and enormous increases in fees without prior consultation. This is because while all other industries were facing rising costs, the timber industry was relatively shielded by the government through subsidies or lack of planning.

• Entrepreneurs met to discuss the situation and consider solutions, as diesel subsidies have been eliminated, and long-term contracts have been compromised.

• Fees now have to be paid in US dollars, which is difficult to obtain, and entrepreneurs fear that the government will shut down the sector due to environmental concerns and pressure from the IMF. Fees were originally paid in SRD and were 10% of the real price due to the changes in the exchange rate.

• Several attempts to discuss reasonable adjustments with the government have failed, and entrepreneurs demand that decisions making the increases possible be put on hold or adjusted until reasonable rates are determined in consultation.

• Pressure will be applied if necessary, and a summary judgment is being considered.

• The government has been given 48 hours to come up with a workable response, and a meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday.

• Entrepreneurs hope for a solution and want to produce but will take action if necessary.

Visa requirement re-introduced for 21 countries

• Suriname will reintroduce visa requirements for 21 countries on May 1, 2023.

• The decision to abolish visas last July has been evaluated and found to be abused by travelers who use Suriname as a stopover.

• Countries affected by the reintroduction of the visa requirement include Afghanistan, Angola, Bangladesh, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Egypt, Eritrea, Ghana, India, Cameroon, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Syria, Tunisia, Venezuela, Zambia and South Africa.

• Holders of passports from these countries will have to apply for visas before traveling to Suriname, which can be done online.

• The visa abolition was aimed at promoting tourism, attracting investors, and accommodating Surinamese living abroad, but the evaluation showed that people from these countries generally do not travel to Suriname for the right reasons and do not meet entry requirements.