Cocaine in plywood weighed at 48 kilos; valued at millions

Last Updated on Friday, 22 April 2016, 9:51 by

The cocaine in one of the split sheets of plywood

Customs and Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Head James Singh has confirmed that a popular sawmill owner, one of his employees and a broker are still in custody following a huge drug bust on Thursday.

Singh confirmed that authorities intercepted 48 kilograms of cocaine with an estimated US street value of US$35,000 per kilogram. That would amount to millions of Guyana dollars in cocaine being seized.

He said that while there have been non confessions from the trio, the authorities are still probing the case.

The CANU boss said the plywood was found in a 40-foot container that was being packed at Yarrowkabra, Linden-Soesdyke Highway.

According to Singh, the sawmill owner/shipper has sent plywood to the United States before.

In the past, cocaine has been found concealed in detergent, fake awarra, fake peppers, canned coconut milk, furniture, star-apples and other items.

The Head of CANU said this latest seizure demonstrates the strong working relationship between the Guyana Revenue Authority and its various entities as well as CANU and the Guyana Police Force . “Closer collaboration and intelligence sharing continue to be one of the successful strategies in the fight against drug trafficking and money laundering,” he said.

Singh added that the presence of the United States Drug Enforcement Agency in Guyana “gives us more access to information sharing and feedback.”