A Guyanese woman and her partner were arrested in Antigua on Wednesday after a raid uncovered an astounding 482 kilos of cocaine.
The Office of National Drug and Money Launder-ing Control Policy (ONDCP) in Antigua raided a property on Old Run-way and made the discovery, an ONDCP official told Stabroek News yesterday.
An official ONDCP statement said the estimated wholesale value of the seized cocaine is slightly under EC$17 million and that the value of these same drugs in the UK would be approximately £24 million.
The official said the couple was expected to be charged and brought before the court yesterday but was not. However, a reliable source stated that the ONDCP and the police force had received new information that halted the legal process. The source added that the couple could be charged over the weekend.
The matter is being handed by both the ONDCP and the Royal Police Force of Antigua and Barbuda.
The ONDCP statement said that the Guyanese woman, 41, and the Antiguan man, also 41, both resided in Old Runway.
It called the raid another successful counter narcotics operation for the ONDCP since it followed the recent seizure of approximately 2,300 pounds of cannabis, which carried an estimated street value of EC$37 million and the arrest of the Jamaican crew comprising of six men who are presently awaiting trial in the High Court.
The ONDCP said that this seizure represents the single largest seizure of cocaine by any Caribbean Law Enforcement agency in recent times.
It stated that on hearing the news, recently elected Prime Minister, Gaston Browne, congratulated the Agency on its recent successes and reaffirmed his Government’s Zero Tolerance policy as it relates to issues of drug trafficking, and related crimes.
