The ex-policeman held in a major drug bust in Suriname earlier this week was also held by police here several years ago in connection with an abandoned aircraft found at the Kwapau airstrip in Cuyuni-Mazaruni, sources have said.
According to sources, the ex-policeman has had several brushes with the law and it has been long suspected that he was involved in narco-trafficking. This newspaper was also told that the man now runs a business in Georgetown.
de Ware Tijd reported that units of the Surinamese Police Force intercepted 28 kilos of cocaine, US$ 147,000, two handguns, two cars and a moped during raids on two separate locations on Monday. The report said that three Surinamese and one Guyanese, who was described as an entrepreneur, were arrested. The report said police expect more arrests will follow.
When contacted, head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh would only say that his unit is aware of the bust but declined to divulge any further information. However, Stabroek News has been reliably informed by security sources that the cocaine originated from Guyana and entered Suriname via the Guyana/Suriname ferry in a vehicle.
According to reports, the ex-policeman remains in custody as the investigation continues.
Meanwhile, this newspaper has been told that sometime yesterday ranks from CANU intercepted half a kilo of cocaine concealed in clothing that was being posted at the Guyana Post Office. It is not clear where the package was being posted but investigations are ongoing.
Abandoned Cessna
Back in March 2005, the police had stumbled on a Cessna 206 aircraft, abandoned at the Kwapau airstrip in the middle Mazaruni. The airstrip is very remote and there is no police or army presence in the area. The white, single-engine Cessna with black and grey stripes was first observed to be bearing the number YV0880P.
However, closer observation revealed that another number, YV2657P, had been covered using masking tape. The Cessna had among its features a special drop door, as well as on-board fuel tanks to facilitate long-range flights—an indication that it may have been used in some illegal activity, such as trafficking in narcotics.
The police were following leads that the plane may have been registered in the US state of Florida. The force had also been investigating the discovery of a parked and locked 4×4 Tacoma vehicle approximately two miles away at Itaballi Landing and had been trying to establish whether there was a link between it and the aircraft.
Several persons, including the ex-policeman and businessman, who was said to have formerly owned the Tacoma, were held as part of the investigation.
The police had apparently closed off the investigation in the case even though the owner of the plane was identified as a Venezuelan.
The man, according to reports, had acknowledged that the plane was his, but said he did not know about its flight to Guyana. He, however, has never approached local authorities to repossess the plane. The aircraft is presently believed to be under the control of the Guyana Defence Force and is parked at the army’s hangar at Timehri.
Over the years, several Guyanese have been held in Suriname on drug related incidents. Drug kingpin Roger Khan, now serving 15 years in the US after pleading guilty to cocaine smuggling charges, was held in Suriname in 2006 along with bodyguards. While they never faced any charges, Khan was later turned over to the US authorities, who had indicted him, while his guards were deported to Guyana.
The March 2007 US drug report had indicated that Guyanese narcotics traffickers regularly moved shipments of cocaine through Suriname and in some deals Guyanese traffickers swapped weapons for drugs. The US mentioned also that smugglers used boats to enter Guyana’s many remote but navigable rivers, and that some of them took direct routes, such as crossing the uncontrolled borders with Brazil, Suriname, and Venezuela.
There have also been several cases where Guyanese have been killed execution-style after returning from drug runs in Suriname.
