Law enforcement officials yesterday made another big cocaine bust in Berbice before it could leave the country for Suriname and one man was in police custody up to press time last night.
Crime Chief Seelall Persaud told this newspaper that 12 kilogrammes of cocaine was intercepted at Moleson Creek, Corentyne but the police public relations office said in a press release subsequently that it was cannabis sativa (marijuana).
The release said that around about 1230 hours police ranks stopped and searched a mini bus and they found 12.75 kilograms of cannabis sativa (marijuana).
A man has been arrested and will be charged shortly, the release added.
Large quantities of drugs particularly cocaine have been intercepted in Berbice.
In April this year, Sulaimon Adeboye Adelodun, a Nigerian was reportedly caught with 21.748 kilogrammes of cocaine in his possession at Number 78 Village, Corentyne as he was about to leave Guyana via the backtrack crossing He was later charged and is on remand.
On November 14 last year around 10.30 am police ranks stopped motor car PMM 9535 and subsequently unearthed a total of 10 kgs of cocaine.
The driver of the vehicle, who was the only occupant, managed to drive away but police pursued the vehicle which crashed at Line Path, Skeldon. The driver escaped. The car was taken to the Springlands Police Station, where a search revealed the prohibited substance.
Two men and two women were arrested by the police in the ensuing investigations and a wanted bulletin was later issued for a fourth man – businessman Dexter Pires.
On November 3 at Line Path, Skeldon, Corentyne, Salim Bacchus, Canada-based Guyanese Narayan Jarbandhan, 40; Gary Belgrave, 52, and Leo Hernandez, 44, were charged with cocaine trafficking and they have since been freed.
It was alleged that they had in their possession, 41.856 kilogrammes (approximately 82 pounds) of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. The interception was made by officers of Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) at Line Path Corentyne.
Jarbandhan, Belgrave and Hernandez were freed in December in Berbice, after their lawyer, Ramesh Rajkumar had observed that their names were not on the charge. It was reported that the men’s names were on the case jacket but had mysteriously disappeared. The lawyer had argued successfully that his clients were never charged but were in fact locked-up wrongfully.
Then on April 30, Bacchus was freed after his lawyers Glen Hanoman and Rajkumar made a no-case submission.
