Following the discovery on Tuesday of millions of dollars in cocaine aboard a Caribbean Airlines (CAL) plane that transited through Guyana, the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) has disclosed that so far there is no indication that the drugs had been loaded onto the aircraft while it was here.
In a statement issued on Thursday, CANU said that the discovery was made at the Miami International Airport, hours after the aircraft departed Guyana.
The cocaine weighed approximately 3 kilogrammes, equivalent to just over 6.5 pounds.
According to CANU, the drugs were unearthed in a panel in the rear cargo hold of the aircraft, bearing registration number 9Y-KIN, by law enforcement officials in the United States (US).
The cargo hold, it said, is only accessed by the maintenance staff of the airline.
CANU said that the aircraft arrived in Guyana at approximately 9.45 pm on Monday.
CANU added that the aircraft then departed for Trinidad at 5.30 am and it was there in transit for approximately 90 minutes before departing to Miami.
Preliminary investigations, CANU noted, do not suggest that the drugs were placed on the aircraft while it was parked at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
As the investigation continues, authorities in the US and the Caribbean Airlines security are gathering more information.
In a report on Thursday, the Trinidad Express quoted CAL’s Communications Manager Dionne Ligoure as saying that matter is in the hands of the law enforcement.
She did not divulge any further comments.
The airline resumed its scheduled flights with the re-opening of borders in Trinidad and Tobago on July 17.
