The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Wednesday cited an “alarming trend” in the shipment of marcotics and other illicit substances in personal consignments and warned of the consequences.
In a statement, it said that on October 18th, GRA Customs Officers seized a quantity of weapons and items suspected to be narcotics found in a barrel imported on an incoming cargo flight from the USA. The items were seized by GRA, and the shipping agent, who was present at the time of the inspection, was taken into custody and handed over to the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit and the Guyana Police Force for further investigations.
The GRA said that the vigilant Customs officials during the course of their inspections of the consolidated consignment at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, discovered the items in a barrel at the Cheddi Jagan Inter-national Airport, Timehri.
“The Authority continues to observe an alarming trend in the efforts to smuggle refined narcotic drugs and other illicit items through personal consignments (barrels, boxes, packages, suitcases and containers) at ports of entry into Guyana. The Authority again reiterates that all such persons dealing in or contemplating engaging in such illegal activities to cease and desist therefrom, or they shall be deat with in accordance with the law”, the statement said.
The Revenue Authority urged the General Public to report any illicit, unlawful or smuggling activities on telephone number 227-6060, Extensions 3201, 3204, 3205, 3211, 3212, or 3408.
It said that all information provided will be dealt with strict confidentiality and such persons may be rewarded in accordance with the provisions of the Customs Act, Chapter 82:01.
The police had said that a 36-year-old Customs Officer was on duty at the Laparkan Bond, located at Timehri Road, when she examined a blue plastic barrel sent to a female of Stanleytown, New Amster-dam, Berbice. The sender is a male from the Bronx, New York. The barrel was shipped by BL Abrigo Shipping LAZA, located in Brooklyn, New York, with a local address at Third Street, La Penitence, Georgetown.
On examination, the release said that it was discovered that the barrel contained a quantity of clothing, five pairs of footwear, thirteen bottles of Moët champagne, two bottles of Hennessy, one body scrub, two bottles of peanut butter, five bottles of body oil, five tubs of body butter, five queen side floral bed sheets, one XBox with one control, three packets of small zip lock bags, one green lunch bowl, 31 small transparent containers, 25 small containers, eight 9mm pistols with magazines (with serial numbers filed out), and five bulky transparent plastic parcels containing a quantity of leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis which, when weighed, amounted to 11.2 pounds.
A 32-year-old female Manager at BL Abrigo Shipping LAZA, who resides at Success, ECD, went to the bond to ‘clear’ the barrel on behalf of the company, was interviewed by investigators and was taken into custody.
