Anti-narcotics agents yesterday intercepted approximately 314 kilos of cocaine hidden in a container of lumber at the Guyana Timber Products Inc. at Soesdyke and up to press time three men, including a Dutch national, were in custody in connection with the find.
The cocaine, just over 692 pounds and with a street value of US$11M ($2.2B Guyana dollars), was being prepared for export to Holland at the time of the bust, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) boss James Singh said.
CANU ranks as well as officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Drug Enforcement Unit spent hours inspecting each log in the container. The cocaine was wrapped in one pound parcels and was carefully concealed in the hollowed-out logs, which were then carefully fitted back together. One log held as much as 18 parcels.
Officials left the lumber yard, located at Lot 80 Public Road, just after the Linden/ Soesdyke Highway junction heading in the direction of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri late yesterday afternoon.
Guyana Timber Products Inc is a Dutch-owned operation with a Guyanese Managing Director and Chairman. The company has an office at Shantinikhetan Street, Prashad Nagar and at Coverden Public Road, East Bank Demerara.
Singh told Stabroek News that the discovery was made some time between 10am and 11am. He explained that the officers were searching a container that was already loaded with timber and the cocaine was “found in the timber.”
Two Guyanese are among those arrested and Singh said that at the moment others are not being pursued in connection with the case. He said that this discovery is probably the second largest in recent times, as the cocaine in soap powder bust made last December netted 325 kilos.
While not wanting to reveal the name of the company that owns the container, the