Employees of the Customs Department and the Grenada Port Authority (GPA) have been left shell-shocked following the discovery that a major agent with one of the prominent business houses in the city has been caught stealing 5 windows from a container on the port.
The employee has since resigned from the job.
A senior port worker told THE NEW TODAY that he could not believe that had happened since he knew that the individual who is living on the western side of the island had a well-paid job and was living a more than comfortable life.
“He resorts to going and doing that now – it is crazy. He has a comfortable life. I don’t even know why he thief them windows. I don’t know if he is trying to help his daughter build a house.
Why (name withheld go and thief them windows, I would really like to know,” he said.
The windows were reportedly stolen from a container that was brought into the country by another private sector firm that sells mainly household and construction items.
According to the source, the disgraced Agent was very likeable and well-respected by persons working on the port.
“Everybody on the port likes (name withheld). I don’t know of anybody who has a fallout or beef with (name withheld). Generally, all Customs officers and port workers have a good relationship with (name withheld). We worked alongside him for many years.”
The employee described the incident as unfortunate as many persons had looked up to the Agent as a role model on the Port.
“He is an agent and people will always be watching you especially when people look to you as an example on the port because you have a good record. He had it all – he had a really good work life with (company name withheld).”
The source referred to the Agent as the one who would board all cruise ships and Cargo boats with Containers that arrive on the St George’s Port for the company.
He pointed out that the incident has shifted fingers from being pointed mainly at Port Workers and Stevedores as the main culprits involved in the theft of goods coming into the country from cargo boats.
“…When things go missing they always blaming the port workers or stevedores that off-load the cargo in the sheds when shipments are loaded in the sheds but the actual agents do thief too.”
“I don’t think (name of Agent) is the only one doing that. It had one time I saw a next one of (name of private sector company withheld) senior worker thief an item from (the) shipment even before it leave the port.”
“I can’t say more because I think it was not me alone that saw him. I am not speaking about (the current incident) now – it was another one and he stole it after clearing it from Customs on the port…but he did so just before the shipment left the port.”
“I didn’t raise any flag because I knew that the government did account for it and collected the duties on it but it was up to (company name withheld) now to catch him eventually.”
“I kept seeing him on the port so it seems he gave them a good reason why it went missing… probably told them it fell off the truck in transit.”
The senior employee on the port called for more monitoring to be done by the authorities on those agents who come to the place representing the major private sector companies on the island.
“…Those agents should definitely be monitored especially when the company put their full trust in them. These are men close to retirement and earning a good monthly pay – so why thief still?”
The Grenada Ports Authority (GPA) is known to have installed a number of cameras on the port to help monitor the daily activities taking place there.