Acting on a tip-off, agents attached to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the GDF Coastguard yesterday morning intercepted a Trinidad-bound fishing vessel with a quantity of cocaine and marijuana.
Reports are that sometime around 10 am yesterday, the vessel, which has been identified as the MV Bismarck, was stopped by the law enforcement officials in the Demerara River as it was being prepared for departure to the Caribbean island.
A source told this newspaper last evening that the more than 30 kilos (67 pounds) of cocaine and a significant quantity of marijuana were found on board the vessel.
The drugs were discovered stashed in fish glue and pieces of equipment on board the vessel.
The captain and four crew members who were on board the vessel at the time were detained by CANU while the vessel was impounded at the Coastguard, Ruimveldt headquarters.
CANU ranks were still searching for several persons last evening who are believed to be connected to this latest drug find a source noted. It was noted too that the drugs may have been placed on board the vessel after its cargo had been examined by the authorities, the source noted.
This latest bust comes less than two weeks after the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) along with the police and CANU discovered some 50 kilos of compressed marijuana stashed inside a quantity of pumpkins bound for Barbados.
A local cycling coordinator, suspected to have attempted to export some $20M worth of the drug, is being sought by the police and he is believed to have fled to neighbouring Suriname, according to a police source.
The first-time exporter, who provided an East Street, South Cummingsburg address on shipping documents to GRA was under surveillance by the authorities for sometime and a police source said that checks at several addresses for the man following the find came up empty handed.
