Ten persons arrested
The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and police yesterday morning unearthed approximately 30 kilos of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) following two separate operations.
CANU head James Singh confirmed yesterday that officers attached to the agency discovered some 28 kilos of the illicit substance during an operation in which the luggage on board Caribbean Airlines flight 526 bound for New York was searched after the aircraft had already been loaded and was preparing to depart.
The drugs were found in a suitcase in which the tag of an item of passenger luggage had been switched. In the second operation, a small quantity of the drug was found in an airport stair truck by airport security who alerted the police. More than 10 persons were arrested in connection with the suitcase bust, while at least two persons attached to the New Timehri Handling Service were arrested in connection with the bust made on the stair truck.
The drugs unearthed carry a combined street value of more than $130M.
While it is unclear what the sequence of the two operations was, an anti-narcotics source noted yesterday afternoon that the smaller operation, in which 2 kilos cocaine was discovered in a package on board the airport stair truck, may have been planned as a diversion to facilitate the passage of the cocaine-filled suitcase on the CAL flight.
Reports are that around lunchtime yesterday, officers attached to CANU received a tip that a shipment of drugs may have been planted on board the CAL flight. According to a security source, the aircraft, which was expected to depart at 11.25am non-stop for New York was delayed by anti-narcotics agents who directed the luggage on board to be taken off and searched. The drugs were found with a passenger tag on the suitcase.
In the second operation, an employee attached to the New Timehri Handling Service was taking over the shift from another colleague when he observed a suspicious package on board the stair truck. He refused to take over the shift and immediately raised an alarm. Security at the CJIA along with the police proceeded to investigate the incident and the employee, together with his colleague whom he was about to relieve were taken into custody.
Airport employees, mainly baggage handlers and airline employees have been under surveillance by anti-narcotic agents in recent times, and this year has seen an increase in drug busts at the CJIA.
Recently two men, one attached to the Roraima Airways and another who worked for a food handling company were placed before the courts in connection with a drug find at the CJIA.
According to sources at the airport, drug traffickers are targeting the airlines which operate flights directly to New York, utilizing the services of airport staff who benefit from the drug trade.
