Motor racers among five charged for GYD$500 million cocaine bust

Last Updated on Tuesday, 30 May 2017, 22:33 by Denis Chabrol

CHARGED: Stephen Vieria

Two motor racers were Tuesday afternoon among five persons charged for a more than GYD$500 million cocaine-in-lumber bust earlier this month, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) said.

Those charged jointly with trafficking in the 84.9 kilogrammes of cocaine are racers Stephen Vieria and Nazim Gafoor as well as his father, Tazim Gafoor, and Sherwayne De Abreu.

Sawmill owner, Narine Lall, was charged in his absence with trafficking in narcotics. Since the drugs bust at in front of the house of Hakim Mohammed at Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo on May 12, 2017, Lall has not been seen.

CANU has already alleged that Vieria is recorded on the shipping documents as Lall’s representative.

They are due to appear at the Leonora Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday.

The anti-drugs agency has said that the cocaine, which was destined for the United States (US), was found in random boards scattered among genuine boards in each pallet. Each of the compromised boards had a dug out cavity with vacuum sealed plastic packets containing cocaine pasted therein.

CHARGED: Tazim Gafoor

CANU reiterated that it would continue to tighten its grip on narcotic distributors throughout Guyana.

Prior to the charging of the five persons, a truck driver and several porters had been detained and subsequently released.

The truck on which the several pallets of 1 X 6 dressed lumber boards had been loaded and prepared for export had been also detained by CANU.