Nearly 100 kilogrammes of ganja was intercepted today on the Demerara River after the coast guard disrupted a trafficking operation, the police said in a release.
At about 2 am today, three Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard personnel were on patrol duty in the Demerara River aboard the Metal Shark vessel.
While operating in the vicinity of the Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling, the Coast Guard ranks observed a red and black wooden boat propelled by a 15 HP outboard engine travelling south with two or three occupants inside, the police said.
Upon seeing the Coast Guard personnel, the release said that the occupants began throwing several bulky parcels overboard. In response, the Coast Guard personnel approached the boat. However, the boat proceeded into the channel near the Vreed-en-Hoop Stelling area. The Coast Guard then returned to the area where they had witnessed the occupants discarding the parcels.
At that location, they discovered six bulky salt bags floating. Upon inspection, each bag contained numerous smaller packages wrapped in transparent plastic. These packages contained leaves, seeds, and stems. The Coast Guard personnel retrieved the items and returned to their headquarters.
They then boarded a smaller boat and went back to the channel near Vreed-en-Hoop, where they located the abandoned boat and engine. The boat and engine, along with the suspected cannabis, were transported to the Coast Guard Headquarters at Ruimveldt, after which the police were contacted.
The release said that the six bags were examined, revealing twenty smaller transparent packages inside. Police, in the presence of the Coast Guard personnel, counted the contents of these packages, which amounted to 99.54 kilograms when weighed.
No arrest has been made so far as investigations continue.