Latest update April 25th, 2024 12:51 AM
Jun 24, 2011 News
Police at the border crossing location of Springlands, Berbice, continue to be the thorn in the side of couriers trying to smuggle drugs into the neighbouring Dutch-speaking Republic of Suriname.
Yesterday the ranks busted another courier with a little over two kilograms of cocaine, which was concealed in a haversack.
This is the latest in a series of drug busts on the Corentyne as drug dealers appear to be shifting their operations to Suriname which is suspected to be the link to the lucrative European market.
The shift appears to be a reaction to the tightening of checkpoints at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport and the seaports in Georgetown.
When contacted for a confirmation of the bust yesterday Divisional Commander Steve Merai declined to comment, citing the force’s standing order which prohibits him from speaking to the media.
However a police source in the ancient county indicated that it is not true to say that drug dealers are now using the Springlands border crossing to smuggle their drugs out of the country.
The source believes that this was the case for quite awhile but it is only now that the police are intensifying their work to capture them.
Previously the police in Berbice busted a courier with a quantity of the drug Ecstasy, which was followed by the arrest of suspects in a car with a kilogram of cocaine and an undisclosed amount of marijuana.
Then a few weeks ago present prison escapee Rickford La Fleur was held with two kilograms of cocaine and 400 grams of ganja.
The police later busted smugglers with two more kilograms of cocaine and 89 grams of hashish, stashed in the bonnet of a car at Moleson Creek.
One man was remanded to prison on Wednesday for that bust. The source is of the opinion that while there have been significant busts recently, large amounts of the drugs are being smuggled in cars that are using the official crossing via the ferry.
“It looks like a daily shipment of cocaine leaving Guyana for Suriname. This is in addition to the many small busts the police have made during raids on drug blocks throughout Berbice,” the source told Kaieteur News.
The source also suspects that large amounts of undeclared gold are being smuggled to Suriname.
Berbice police have put a dent in marijuana cultivation in the county following a series of raids in the popular cultivation area of the Berbice River during which several fields were burnt and boats and engine seized.
Presently some of the seized equipment is still lying in the police compound in Berbice as the owners are afraid to come forward to claim them.
Jagdeo giving Exxon 102 cent to collect 2 cent.
Apr 25, 2024
By Rawle Toney Kaieteur Sports – The French Diplomatic Office in Guyana, in collaboration with the Guyana Olympic Association and UNICEF, hosted an exhibition on Tuesday evening at the...Kaieteur News – Dr. Bharrat Jagdeo, the General Secretary of the People’s Progressive Party, persists in offering... more
By Sir Ronald Sanders Waterfalls Magazine – On April 10, the Permanent Council of the Organization of American States... more
Freedom of speech is our core value at Kaieteur News. If the letter/e-mail you sent was not published, and you believe that its contents were not libellous, let us know, please contact us by phone or email.
Feel free to send us your comments and/or criticisms.
Contact: 624-6456; 225-8452; 225-8458; 225-8463; 225-8465; 225-8473 or 225-8491.
Or by Email: [email protected] / [email protected]