SOURCE: Caribbean Media Corporation (CMC)
Guyana police Monday said they are investigating the discovery of 72.1 pounds of cocaine, which was found last Friday, during an operation along the Five Miles-Ituni Trail, Upper Demerara River.
In a brief statement, the police said that during the operation, officers observed a motor pickup travelling out of the trail. It said that upon seeing the police, the driver stopped the vehicle and fled into nearby bushes, leaving the pickup behind.
The police said that they subsequently searched the vehicle and found a large garbage bag on the floor behind the driver’s seat containing 30 rectangular parcels.
“Upon examination, the parcels were found to contain a whitish rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine. The suspected cocaine was escorted to the Mackenzie Police Station, where it was weighed and amounted to 72.1 pounds (32.7kg), before being lodged pending investigations.
The police did not give a street value for the drugs, noting also that “no arrests have been made as investigations continue”.
Meanwhile, police say they detained three people, including a 43-year-old businessman following the discovery of nearly 10 pounds of cannabis and over two pounds of cocaine in Bartica, Region Seven.
In a statement, the police said that the cannabis and cocaine were found on Sunday and that acting on information received, proceeded to the property, where they contacted a 38-year-old female dispatcher and conducted a search in her presence.
During the search, the police found a cardboard box wrapped in a plastic bag in the front portion of the yard. The box contained seven bulky parcels including six containing a quantity of leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis, and the other containing a whitish, rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine.
The woman was arrested and escorted to the Bartica Police Station along with the suspected narcotics. The police said during further investigations, they apprehended a 43-year-old businessman of Vigilance, East Coast Demerara, in connection with the matter.
The businessman was also wanted in connection with an arrest warrant relating to a separate narcotics matter. At the time of his apprehension, he was in the company of a 36-year-old taxi driver and a search of the vehicle resulted in the discovery of a plastic bag containing a whitish, rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine was found in the driver-side door pocket.
The suspected cocaine was weighed in the presence of the taxi driver and amounted to 2.7 grams. The taxi driver was arrested in relation to the discovery, while the businessman was also taken into custody in connection with the ongoing investigation. —GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC)
