Cops hold US traveller with 40lbs cocaine in baking powder

An American citizen is now in police custody after he was nabbed with just over 40 pounds of cocaine concealed among baking powder and custard powder at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). According to the Guyana Police Force (GPF), the man was caught after ranks of the Police Narcotics Unit conducted a search on the man’s luggage at about 4:05pm yesterday at the airport. The man, the police said, was an outgoing passenger on a flight to the USA. A total of 18.295 kilogrammes of cocaine was discovered during the search.

The man has since been arrested and is in police custody assisting with investigations, the GPF said. The man is the latest case in a number of recent busts with links to Guyana; in November, two persons were found on separate occasions with cocaine at the John F. Kennedy (JFK) International Airport in New York after they had travelled from CJIA.

Melissa Cox was held at JFK with two Fernleaf milk tins and two flour bags, all of which contained cocaine that amounted to 13.02 kg while Winston Sinclair was found with 8.206 kg of cocaine hidden in four bottles of rum.