The Guyana Police Force (GPF) yesterday issued a wanted bulletin for Marlon Primo, who investigators believe has crucial information for the investigation of the recent 11.5-tonne cocaine bust in Belgium.
In a wanted bulletin issued yesterday morning, the GPF said Primo, 41, whose last known addresses are 69 Atlantic Ville, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and Norton & John Street, Lodge Housing Scheme, Georgetown, is wanted for questioning in relation to the discovery of the cocaine, which was unearthed in a container of scrap metal on October 27th, 2020, in Belgium.
One week ago, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Agency (CANU) had also announced that Primo was wanted in connection with the investigation.
CANU Head, James Singh had told Stabroek News on Thursday that a number of searches were conducted in a bid to apprehend Primo, who is the suspected shipper of the container, but he was not located.
“We have no leads on Primo. Several properties were searched but no luck,” Singh had said.
Prior to this, Singh had added that the agency reached out to Primo’s family seeking their assistance on his whereabouts or to ask him to surrender. He had also said that if safety is a concern for Primo, CANU is willing to provide protection for him.
Last week, law enforcement officials in Belgium announced that they were probing the discovery of 11.5 tonnes of cocaine in the container of scrap metal shipped from Guyana.
The shipment, which is being described as “the largest overseas drug bust ever, worldwide,” was seized upon its arrival at the Port of Antwerp. It carries an estimated street value of 900 million Euros.
The Brussels Times had reported counter-narcotics prosecutors as saying that they tracked the transatlantic journey of the cocaine from Guyana following the dismantlement of a drug trafficking gang led by a former Belgian counternarcotics chief, which revealed the existence of tight-knit links between criminal gangs and counternarcotics and law enforcement officials.
On Monday, Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn told reporters that the authorities are “extremely” alarmed that the shipment passed through the surveillance system without being discovered. He had said that the operation had to have been in the planning for months.
Sources close to the investigation had told Stabroek News that the container was scanned but it appears as though the images from the scanner were altered or deleted. Singh had previously told Stabroek News that five containers were scanned on the day in question but the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has only provided images from four of the five containers.
Up to yesterday, the authorities were still to be provided with images by the GRA of the container.
Two GRA employees remained in custody.
A number of other persons were questioned in relation to the discovery but have since been released, Singh said.
Anyone with information that may lead to the arrest Primo is asked to contact the police on telephone numbers, 226-6978, 225-8196, 226-2870, 225-1111, 226-7065, 227-1149, 226-7065, 225-6940, 911 or the nearest police station.
