GEORGETOWN, Guyana, Jan 13, CMC – Guyana said Monday law enforcement officials had seized a total of 6000 kilograms of narcotics last year with a street value of GUY$5.6 billion (One Guyana dollar=US$0.004 cents).
Home Affairs Minister, Robeson Benn, told a news conference that of the 6000 kilograms of narcotics seized, cocaine accounted for 5094.67 kilograms while 1,643.45 kilograms of cannabis was seized.
He said that a large percentage of that cocaine was unearthed last September by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Special Forces of the Guyana Defence Force with the support of the US Drug Enforcement Agency, near an abandoned airstrip in Region One.
Approximately, 4.4 tons cocaine, which carries a street value of almost US$200 million, was found and Benn said two people have been arrested locally, as investigation continues.
“There were a number of arrests overseas related to that one. I wouldn’t say the country or the area right now but there were a number of arrests made in relation to that matter,” he added.
Benn said that several people have been prosecuted, including foreign nationals following several drug related seizures last year.
“The results so far, we have seen arriving in the prisons, a number of persons, who are involved in relation to the question of cocaine, and marijuana trafficking. I think a number of Brazilian pilots are in the facility,” Benn said, noting that a number of planes linked to the narco-trade, which were found in most cases at abandoned and other illegal airstrips, have also been destroyed.
He said as CANU and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) continue the fight against the illegal drugs trade, the Caribbean country is seeking the support of its international partners.
The United States Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) and other international partners have been offering intelligence information, but Benn said much more is required to combat the narco-trade.
“And we would like to get more support. While there is a lot of support in terms of training and information, visits and conferences, we would like to see more physical support. We would like to see support in relation to radar coverage. We would like to see more support to the police and CANU in relation to vehicles and planes and the other specialized testing equipment in relation to the question of drugs,” Benn said.
He said that the narco-trade often includes guns and ammunitions, and the authorities must be better equipped to take on the traffickers.
“Our activism cannot be more helped unless we get the capability, in partnership with neighbouring countries to deny overfly, deny the passage of these semi-submersible vessels in the maritime sphere, and indeed I think we do have two submersibles which were seized in the North-West by the police,” he added.
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