The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) last Friday found three bottles of mercury at an abandoned Sawmill in Berbice.
CANU, in a statement, said that its officers conducted an operation last Friday at Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, Berbice where a search was carried out around the sawmill’s compound and three bottles of mercury were discovered between some bushes.
The bottles were then handed over to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), the agency which is responsible for the importation of the substance.
According to CANU, Importation, retailing and distribution of mercury require a licence from the Pesticide Toxic Chemical Control Board (PTCCB), as well as a written consent from the Commissioner of the Guyana Geology and Mines Commission (GGMC) and an environmental authorization from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) before any shipment of such is imported into Guyana for mining purposes.
No arrest was made.
Mercury, which is toxic to human health and the environment, is used in gold mining although the associated strict regulations governing its use are observed more in the breach.