Latest update March 29th, 2024 12:59 AM
Jun 17, 2011 News
– Two in custody
Just one week after a massive drug find at Batavia Island, in the Cuyuni River, ranks from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) yesterday found over 393 kilos (866 lbs) of compressed marijuana in a container at the John Fernandes Wharf, Georgetown.
Kaieteur News understands that the CANU officers made the discovery early yesterday morning and are working in collaboration with the Guyana Revenue Authority and officials from the shipping company.
According to a source at CANU, the ranks got an anonymous “tip off” around 04:00hrs and went directly to the John Fernandes compound.
Upon arrival at the compound, the lawmen confronted a male individual who they determined was not employed by the shipping company.
Ranks immediately started questioning the man, who told them that he was there looking for a security guard.
This publication was told that ranks found over $400,000 in the man’s possession. According to sources, the man was an ex-Stevedore, and had been dismissed five years ago from John Fernandes Limited. He allegedly told the ranks that the money was to “pay the security guard”.
Sensing something was amiss, the ranks entered the compound and went to a container that had been offloaded.
“The seal was broken…ranks searched the container and they found 10 large travelling bags with several packs of marijuana,” the source explained.
Sources further told Kaieteur News that the man has given the name of a tally clerk, who helped him with the container information. The clerk has been taken into custody, along with the ex-employee.
Kaieteur News was further told that the container had arrived from Jamaica aboard the MV Stadt Luneburg. Ranks believed that the drugs were loaded on the vessel in Jamaica.
According to sources, the container arrived on Sunday last (June 12) with a shipment of shoes for a footwear exporter. It is unclear if anyone from the individual’s establishment was questioned in connection with the drug find.
The police, acting on a “tip off” two Thursdays ago, intercepted a vessel with a large quantity of cocaine at Batavia Island, located some eight kilometres (five and one half miles) up the Cuyuni River, approximately 24 kilometres south of Bartica.
The cocaine with an estimated street value of US$5million ($1B) was found stashed in four large plastic containers on a vessel named “Amor”. That vessel was powered by two 75-horsepower outboard engines.
On Monday, last, four men were charged in relation to the bust and were remanded to prison.
The accused, 41-year-old Deonarine Singh of Friendship, East Bank Demerara; 32-year-old Randolph ‘Fatboy’ Singh; 34-year-old Clyn Collier, of South Ruimveldt; and Garcia Luis Alberto, of Venezuela, pleaded not guilty to the offence of trafficking in narcotics.
A fifth suspect, Terry James, was charged on Wednesday since he was hospitalised on Monday.
The allegation is that the men, on June 9, at Batavia, Cuyuni River, trafficked 149 kilos 638 grams of cocaine.
Guyana is considered to be a major transshipment point for cocaine and in recent months, Jamaican authorities intercepted two ships that originated from here, with large quantities of cocaine.
Some 122 kilograms of cocaine in a consignment of timber from Guyana, was discovered in a ship that stopped in Jamaica.
Jamaican authorities made the discovery on aboard the MV Vega Azurit which had departed last March.
Several persons were questioned in Guyana in connection with the drug bust, but no charges were ever instituted.
On May 31, last, the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) in keeping with the requirements of the International Maritime Organization for the exportation of products to the United States and other regions, announced that its US$1M Container Scanner is now fully operational since it was procured in May 2010.
The scanner was put into service on May 23, 2011, to meet the growing demand for thorough inspection of containers to ensure compliance with regulations regarding shipping to the United States of America and to halt the secreting of illicit substances with declared cargo.
THIS IDIOT TELLING GUYANA WE HAVE NO SAY IN THE 50% PROFIT SHARING AGREEMENT WE HAVE WITH EXXON.
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