On the heels of two major Guyana-linked drug busts in the last month, customs authorities at the Port of Miami, on Monday acting on a tip off unearthed 373 pounds of cocaine hidden in furniture aboard a vessel, whose last stop was in this country.
The furniture in the container
This bust involved 194 packages valued at US$5.5M which was concealed in 72 pieces of furniture which was packed in a container. Investigations will likely be done to determine if the furniture was loaded here.
According to NBC6.NET, the Customs and Border Protection (CBP) Officers inspecting the containers at the Miami seaport were alerted by a CBP K-9 to a specific container loaded with furniture.
The officers, attached to the Anti-Terrorism Contra-band Enforcement Team, proceeded to examine the furniture and discovered three packages concealed within one of the pieces of furniture. One of the packages was tested by the officers and the substance was positive for cocaine. More packages of the drugs were discovered in 71 other pieces of furniture.
The container with the furniture arrived in Miami last Friday aboard the freighter M/V Rio Para. The container was moved to the CBP facility for examination and opened Monday. The vessel’s last port call was Guyana, the news article stated.
“Our men and women are working diligently, especially during the holidays, in protecting our borders against all forms of terrorism. Stopping the flow of illegal drugs is one of Customs and Border Protection’s primary missions,” said Ruby Hogan, Port of Miami CBP director, was quoted as saying.
Director of Field Operations Harold Woodward was quoted by the NBC 6.NET as saying that “This is an outstanding seizure, and it was accomplished with one of our specialized Anti-Terrorism Contraband Enforcement Teams at the seaport. We mustn’t forget the great work our K-9 units perform at our seaports as well as the airports”.
Two shipments of pepper sauce from Guyana with cocaine stuffed into the dividers of the cartons were seized this month in Canada and the USVI.
To paraphrase Calypsonian David Rudder, “somebody letting the cocaine pass.”
God bless Guyana
i just can’t waite for the big boys name to be call all of them involve will be expose just waite and see my ppl
The failure of responsible agencies to detect these items locally is costly to genuine exporters and all law abiding Guyanese. At this rate, all commodities exported from Guyana would be detained and extensively checked, creating major inconvenience to the innocent manufacturers and exporters that do business here.
It is time for an independent board of inquiry to be set-up by the Minister of Home Affairs to question all Shipping agents and state Officers who cleared those shipments. Do not spare any, Customs, CANU and Port officers. More so, lie-detector equipment and other technology should be deployed to aid investigating team.
As the Hon. Minister of Home Affairs stated recently, “the human factor” is the major issue here in Guyana.
The Guyana Government cannot do it all alone. The Government needs support of all in this fight. It is the collective will of the people of Guyana that will finally change this unfortunate situation that has crept into our society. Therefore, there is work to be done, by the head of Customs, CANU and Police. The Government of Guyana must begin to hold these heads accountable.
Questions are, where is this narcotic being manufactured? If external to Guyana, then surely there must be intelligence of the areas where these items being stored and protected in Guyana? Who is being paid to protect the items? How much longer would this be allowed to continue? Why not have a blackout on information of seizures to allow for local authorities time to made local arrests when these incident occur.
God bless Guyana
You tell me, why Green and Rohee US visas were cancled ? Talk to me.
my word….Guyana again in another COCAINE bust…..Guyana…..I DON’T KNOW WHAT ELSE TO SAY BUT COCAINE, IS THIS WHAT OUR COUNTRY IS RUNNING ON? COCAINE AND NOT GAS?? WHEN THE DEA SET UP A OFFICE HERE I HOPE THEY DON’T TAKE ANY BRIBES….BY THE WAY, THE DEA IS ALREADY WORKING HERE IN GUYANA AND MOST PEOPLE DON’T KNOW WHO THEY ARE….SOME DO!!
Sandhurst if the DEA is there then they are making a move on the middle man. Guyana and Guyanese involved in this COCAINE shipment are all middlemen. Kilos of cocaine is not prossessed in GY. It all done in Brazil, COlumbia and Venuzela. The FBI, DEA and other law inforcements in those countries are making it more difficult for these shipments to get out unnoticed.
This is where the money grubbing, bribe taking, lazy ass, get rich quick Guyanese come in!
Guyana is slack and the drug lords know this. It’s easy to get these street walkers involved with minimum effort and resources. Unless the Port Authority and CANU get their act together, Guyana as a country will be blamed.
CONGRAT TO THE PPP GOVERNMENT AND THE JAGDEO BOYS. WHAT A WONDERFUL JOB THEY ARE DOING TO MAKE GUYANA PROUD.
WHAT ABOUT HAMILTON GREEN AND THE PNC GLORY DAYS.
Uitvlugt-think given the choice of constant murders, drug dealing and basic crime run a mock, I believe you too long for the good ole glory day Green & the PNC. If you will admit it.
I find it ironic than when the PNC was in power there were no incidents of drug smuggling nor pilfering of the public coffers of Guyana as it is now. Now that the PPP is in power, the incidents of drug smuggling on an international scale has reached pandemic proportions. Guyana has been transformed since the PPP took power into a money dominated society on such a scale that it now one where what matters is not how you treat and respect your fellow guyanese but how much money you can accumulate through means either fair or foul. They have forgotten the old saying, “moon guh run till day ketch am”.
I totally agree with you 100%. Are you still single ? LOL, LOL
Have a Blessed, Prosperous, Wealth and Healthy New Year.
LIVE IN LOVE
PEACE OUT
SATISH -I taught that GY foremost export to the world was “MUD”!
Guyanese take heed you will be strip search entering the US ports.
isn’t it enough that we are already harassed everytime we enter another country? All these so-called businessmen in GT that the police can hardly touch them are contributing to this. The pepper sauce shipment issue, why didn’t the police kept close tabs on the GT suspects since the story busted? No, the waited until these men cannot be found then they put information out on them. Shoddy policing, step it up or continue to look like fools.
these drug lords knows the instant the bust takes place, they have their network arrange.
its a billion dollar industry and they know how to protect and track their valuables, so they are not being ripoff.
Hi Carol I like the second part of your story the cops wait till the bandits left guyana through the back track then put out a wanted add in the papers how wise, but as the saying goes all awe a one family the barrons have more contact than canu so somebody will let them know when something is going down if these men [canu, cops] get good pay things will change a lot bring men from outlying areas with good education train them with the help of the US and see the differance the coastlanders have too much conections with each other use informants , use men from the GDF G-3 brance if there are still any left because I have notice most gone to canu in any case this drugs thing is getting out of hand these days everytime guyana goes on the world map is through something negitive , jim jones, coke in fish, chairs, pepper, contract killing,damm I am sick of it, come together people and clean up our country what will the new genaration have to look back on when they grow up nothing good how sad.
CONGRATULATIONS MR.PRESIDENT AND MR.ROHEE,FOR A JOB WELL DONE.CAN YOU IMAGINE ON THE BACK DROP OF SENDING HOME NINE CANU OFFICERS SAYING THAT THEY FAILED THE POLYGRAPH TEST WHICH INCLUDES FOUR OF THE MOST SUCESSFUL AGENTS ALL THE BIG SIEZURES THAT WAS DONE FOR THE PAST SIX YEARS WERE DONE BY THESE OFFICERS.WHAT A SHAME MR PRESIDENT ,WHAT A SHAME. I AM CHALLENGING THAT THE HONOURABLE MINISTER PUT THE RESULTS OF THE POLYGRAPH PUBLIC.WHY DONT THE PRESIDENT POLYGRAPH SOME HIGH LEVEL OFFICIALS FOR THERE INVOLVEMENT IN THE ILLEGAL DRUG TRADE.ONE RECOMENDATION IS THAT THE US EA SHOULD TRY LOCATE THESE FORMER OFFICERS AND GET THEM TO HELP U GUYS FIGHT THIS WAR.WHAT A SHAME JAGDEO .