Armed with information from their foreign counterparts, the Custom Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) says it is currently pursuing new leads as investigations continue into the record-breaking discovery of 11.5 tonnes of cocaine in a container of scrap metal in Belgium that was shipped from Guyana.
Speaking to Stabroek News yesterday, CANU Head, James Singh said that the matter has been under continuous investigation, while noting that they are pursuing new leads with the intelligence gathered from their overseas counterparts.
He stated further that despite the interrogation of several persons including officers of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), there was no concrete evidence to institute charges.
Singh said that the GRA is currently leading their own investigation to determine what happened with the scans of the suspect container that went missing. He noted that the officers involved are also being questioned by the Authority since standard operating procedures were breached.
He also noted that the alleged shipper of the container, Marlon Primo, remains in hiding despite a police bulletin being issued for his arrest.
After the discovery of the shipment early November, Belgian law enforcement authorities described the shipment as “the largest overseas drug bust ever, worldwide.” The shipment was seized upon its arrival at the port of Antwerp. It carries an estimated street value of 900 million Euros.
Stabroek News was informed that the shipment departed Guyana on September 25 and was searched by Belgian authorities on October 27.
Minister of Home Affairs Robeson Benn had also 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.
