Pepper sauce, furniture probes intensifying
Most of the cocaine being exported from Guyana is likely coming from Venezuela via the Pomeroon, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) says and the nexus between that trade and gun-running is increasingly clear, sources say.
Inderpaul Doodnauth
In the wake of three large busts in Canada, the US and the US Virgin Islands of cocaine-filled shipments which originated from Guyana, questions have been raised about where the drugs are coming from and about the repackaging operations here.
CANU sources tell Stabroek News that around 60% of the cocaine that enters Guyana comes from Vene-zuela and transits through the Pomeroon. There is a lot of unmonitored boat traffic between Guyana and Venezuela which also accommodates gun-running. Drug trafficking, transport of guns and smuggling of fuel are intertwined in these areas and complement each other.
Orlando Watson
A portion of the drugs that enters the country from Venezuela goes farther east to Suriname by go-fast boats and there is an easy convertibility between the drug and gun-smuggling trades. For instance, in Suriname the going rate today for two Chinese-made AK-47s is a kilo of cocaine.
Questions linger over how and where the exporters in Guyana are packaging their drugs in these big shipments.
On December 8, officers found 276 kilos of high-quality cocaine at the Port of Saint John, New Brunswick, aboard a ship, Tropic Canada.
Reginald Rodrigues
The Toronto Star reported investigators as saying that the vessel in New Brunswick was confirmed to have been carrying 77-79 per cent pure cocaine, which was found inside the cardboard dividers of boxes of hot sauce. They removed all but two kilos of the cocaine and performed a controlled delivery of the container to its original destination in Etobicoke, Ontario. It was received by the owner of the company, Mahendrapaul Doodnauth, who unloaded the boxes at a rented storage facility on Rexdale Boulevard in Toronto. As a result, Doodnauth, of Toronto, was charged with importing cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
A second major drug shipment was traced back to Guyana after US federal agents on December 24 seized 100 kilos of cocaine found inside pepper sauce cartons aboard a ship in St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands. The US agents had been tipped off by Canada.
Nymrod Singh
Then on the heels of two major pepper sauce busts, customs authorities at the Port of Miami, on December 29 acting on a tip off unearthed 373 pounds of cocaine hidden in furniture aboard a vessel, whose last stop was in Georgetown.
CANU sources yesterday said that both investigations are making headway. In relation to the pepper sauce shipments, a significant amount of information has been exchanged with Canada’s Royal Canadian Mounted Police and CANU is preparing to reel in more suspects. One of the suspects that CANU issued a bulletin for, Indarpaul Doodnauth, made himself available to the agency for questioning. Doodnauth, an East Coast-based businessman is the brother of Mahendrapaul Doodnauth, the man held by Canadian authorities in connection with both shipments of the pepper sauce cocaine. Canada is proceeding with its investigation and staying in touch with local law enforcement agencies.
Another man sought by CANU, Reginald Rodrigues, who was thought to be the shipper of the pepper consignment seized in Canada went underground after the bust became public and was able to evade an attempt to arrest him here. It is believed he has since fled to Suriname via the backtrack.
Another man wanted for questioning in relation to the pepper sauce, Orlando Watson has been in touch with the authorities here but is yet to turn himself in. He is thought to be connected to the second shipment. CANU sources say they are actively seeking two other businessmen who participated in the pepper sauce cocaine shipment and based on information from their lawyer they may turn themselves in for questioning. The two are associated with a business in Georgetown.
CANU sources say that the pepper sauce shipments were financed by a coterie of shady characters and persons with criminal antecedents who were looking to make a whopping profit from their Christmas operation. With the crushing of the operation some of the suspects are not only being sought by CANU but also by their financiers.
A suspect in the shipment of the cocaine furniture to Miami, Nymrod Singh, was nabbed in Bartica on Saturday after his photograph appeared in the newspapers. He spent his second day in custody yesterday and sources say he is saying that an acquaintance asked him to ship the furniture to Miami.
The furniture was allegedly picked up by Singh on November 1 and next appeared containerized on November 25 at a city wharf for loading onto the MV Rio Para.
This bust involved 194 packages valued at US$5.5M which was concealed in 72 pieces of furniture packed into the container.
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.
According to the Canadian press, the pepper sauce busts are part of a major anti-narcotics initiative dubbed “Project Falcon,” which sought to identify the sources of the criminal network that transported cocaine to street gang members and drug abusers in the Durham region.
The local investigations have also unearthed weaknesses in customs operations which enable the illicit shipments.
In one of the pepper shipments a fake Taxpayer Identification Number was used and the name of a non-existent company provided. Documents for the second pepper shipment appeared to be a copy of that provided for the first.
In relation to the furniture shipment, it was discovered that containers are being packed and sealed at locations where there isn’t adequate inspection. These containers are then taken to the wharves and shipped without any further checks of their cargo.
Cocaine Makes the world goes around…Even if CANU finds a way to stop the cocaine from coming through the Pomeroon the dealers will find another way to bring it to GT..If the money have to talk then it will, Bribe is a big man.
Sandhurst you are right on the money my friend.We can safely say that people smuggling is going on too thru guyana’s unprotected borders.
Jones I don’t know if you are old enough to remember when we use to have Several Army and National Service Camps (remember People Militia). I think the cost to operate those camps will be the same we spend for drug and crime enforcement and to keep the so call suspects in remand or jail.
SF,,,,you are sooo right. Like the old saying goes, “THE STRICTER THE GOVERNMENT, THE WISER THE POPULATION”
Wow, Guyana is fast becoming like Jamaica and Columbia. Soon we our above board business people will find market access into other countries more than difficult. I guess peter pays for paul and paul pays for all.
I do not believe that Guyana is nearly as bad as JA and or Columbia! Nonetheless I am not going to look to those countries as our measuring stick. It is true that GT has a large amount of Drug traffickers however, if heads roll what will happen to our current leaders (administration). It will either show up their own incompetence or involvement in the process. (hummmmm)
May Almighty GOD help Guyana!
How low can Guyana go?
As low as you english people with your cocaine habits
I am not convinced that enough effort and resources are being invested in the curbing of this human scourge. Not one major drug lord has ever been prosecuted and convicted in this country and that speaks volume. All we get is lip service and nothing after. These huge buildings springing up all over the place and all these luxury vehicle polpulating the streets, people suddenly become affluent and no one is being asked a question. Now can someone tell me if the authorities are blind to the glaring evidence. The modus operandi of the pushers/suppliers are known by all sundry yet the authorities pretend to be oblivious.
Maybe guyana should do like the mexicans & columbians allow the united states to come into guyana and take the drug kingpins to america and place them in their prisons for life just like manuael noregia.
I totally agree with you John the fact that no kingpin/drug lord has ever been prosecuted and found guilty and even more than that, serve the time is indicative that the current admin is slack and an integral part of it. If you are not against the drug trade (with more than mouth)then you are for it (with more than mouth).
If per chance my talk here is erroneous then where is the evidence to prove me wrong. Why then can’t these leaders (and mind you I am not loyal to any party) show us these criminals and seize their estates and bring them to justice.
mr. smith,
if what you are sayins is true, then these people who are incharged for the checking and controle of the export in guyana they are the ones who has to be jailed along with the suspects. As for the SKY-SCRAPERS in GT I was made to understand that one of them belong to a CUSTOM-OFFICER
everyday bucket ah guh a well, one day if battam guh fall out……
bit what u can chew otherwise u will choke! that’s eaxctly what happened here.. eat lil bit & live laannggggggg…. take ur pick!
too bad is only now this is been discovered… remember Venezuela is getting it from the DRUG BRANDED COUNTRY of COLUMBIA!guyana $$ i think is higher than venezuela currency & i know it is really hig for the suriname gilders… it maybe even higher than the brazilian currency too….
too bad too bad
according to Smith dem bucket dis bin to dee well plenty time an till now dem battAM nuh fal out jet. The Canadians and the Americans should really get down to guyana and sort out things starting form the CUSTOM-OFFICERS because the are still the ones who are suppose to check and re-check to make sure those stuff does not pass through Guyana to give it a more bad name than it already has I mourn for my once GOOD OLD GUYANA
LOL, while the GRA is hustling internet cafe owners , the drug dealers are shipping their goods with fake tax id numbers right under the GRA noses. When is the corruption going to stop.
the so-called law people in guyana are trained to H-A-R-R-A-S-S the small man and protect the DRUG LORDS
Guyana’s borders are too porous, including the Pomeroon. I witnessed contraband coming into Guyana thru the Pomeroon. Illegal activities will florish if we cannot patrol our borders. With a country with limited means, I doubt we will be able to effectively address this problem in the short term. This is where countries like US and Canada need to help, since these countries have much at stake in the fight against the drugs trade.
Re: “[...Guyana’s borders are too porous, including the Pomeroon. I witnessed contraband coming into Guyana thru the Pomeroon. Illegal activities will flourish if we cannot patrol our borders...] Yep, (think and act like an ostrich) make a big show by purchasing two second-hand helicopters to go after a few criminals (and leave Guyana’s borders with neighboring countries “wide open” to illegal activities).
sure they will have to help, The US is helping Colombia with hundreds of millions of dollars in aid to fight the drug trade, so its time they do the same for guyana, we don’t grow the cocoa, and we dont manufacture the drug. we are only the distribution point because of our 400 miles of border is all jungle.
I WOULD LIKE THE CRITICS TO PATROL THE BORDER FOR A WEEK, the complete border
freespeech, Colombia gets billions.
it is necessary that the US and Canada step in because the DRUGS is entering their country they should put pressure on FURNITURE-MAN and PEPPER-SAUCE-BAAI get them to talk and conviscate all that they own in Guyana Canada and elsewhere. those are the sort that live in luxury on other people’s grief distroying families with their trafficing of drugs.
Guyana has to seal it’s borders first, then we have to work on those who are selling and distributing drugs with in the country, also the people who are taking bribes to issue fake documents to allow these ppl to proceed with their illegal activities.It’s a gigantic task for CANU, and i think they need tremendous help from US and Canada. Good Luck guys.
Suh how yuh tink Guyana can seal it’s borders. The Mighty USA cannot seal it’s Mexican Border. Apparently you have never ventured beyond the Coast of Guyana.
The Us and Canada has to curb their people’s appetite for drugs, then we will see a change in this trade
BOSS TWEED, That is IMPOSSIBLE,Guyana has borders 360 degrees.
Every user knows the seller(s) if the authority has to use a USER to get to the PUSHER then so be it. These People has to know that the ARMS OF THE LAW IS LONG and VERY LONG TOO especially the AMERICAN ARMW!!!!!
where is this story going, if they have contact with these men why aren’t they arrested and placed before the courts, or they just pussyfooting with the public.
Dude, you did not get it. If a call is made to CANU from someone who is in hiding, it does not necessarily mean that the caller can be located with a snap of the fingers.
CANU needs to focus its energies un the right direction and the government needs to provide them with the guidance necessary for conducting their affairs instead of focusing on petty and insignificant issues…FACEBOOK?