Other suspect being grilled on timber cocaine shipment
The deportee who it is believed mobilized the cocaine that was inserted into the dividers of cartons of pepper sauce turned himself into the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) yesterday and was intensely questioned.
Thus far, CANU has questioned the key players in the organization that smuggled 376 kilos of cocaine in the cartons. One shipment was busted on December 8 in New Brunswick, Canada and the other was nabbed on December 24 in St Croix, the US Virgin Islands after Canadian authorities tipped off the US DEA.
CANU sources say the deportee who turned himself in yesterday is believed to be the person who sourced the cocaine from suppliers. He was intensely questioned and let go after he denied details that were put to him. The sources say he was reluctant to leave CANU. As the organizer of the cocaine, sources say, he is the one most at risk from vengeful suppliers west of Guyana and may have no choice but to help the investigation as much as he could.
Aside from the deportee, CANU on Monday also questioned his business associate who he runs a shop with. The deportee’s associate who goes by at least two names is believed to be the financier of the drug operation. He is believed to have put up some of the money and the remainder of the supply was received on credit from the suppliers. This type of transaction is usually cleared if the intermediaries are well-trusted and there is a great likelihood that the shipments would make it through. In this case, both shipments were seized and this is the type of situation that can lead to an implosion of the entire network.
In a surprise twist, the financier is now being questioned by the police in relation to a shipment of timber filled with cocaine which was seized in the Caribbean last year. The financier had been wanted in connection with this seizure but had not been apprehended. There had been no bulletin from the police in connection with this.
In addition to the deportee and the financier, CANU has also interviewed the suspected facilitator who would have cleared channels for the shipments and made the final delivery to the couriers. He, like the other two, has denied involvement. All three have been in constant touch with CANU and will be kept under close surveillance.
Assets not in congruence with their alleged income and conspicuous spending will be closely watched particularly in light of pending legislation which allows the forfeiture to the state of the assets of drug traffickers.
But for this to happen, charges will have to be laid and there are potential problems, sources say, since witnesses are hard to come by where there is little prospect of witness protection and considering that this is a small country.
The revamped CANU is focusing heavily on intelligence gathering and ensuring that compromised operations aren’t able to regroup. In the wake of the arrest of businessman Roger Khan in the US, there were expectations that new actors would try to move into the business.
Sources say that in the wake of the arrest of Khan there was fragmentation of the business with smaller players making their own deals. There was a significant concentration of this business on the East Coast.
Following the seizure of the first pepper cocaine shipment Mahendrapaul Doodnauth, who unloaded the boxes at a rented storage facility on Rexdale Boulevard in Toronto was arrested by Canadian authorities. He was later charged with importing cocaine, conspiracy to import cocaine and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
CANU then issued a bulletin for Indarpaul Doodnauth and he made himself available to the agency for questioning. Doodnauth, an East Coast-based businessman is the brother of Mahendrapaul Doodnauth. Sources say Indarpaul recently surfaced at CANU with his arm bandaged and there was speculation that he had been involved in a fracas with someone who was upset over the busting of the shipments.
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.
Meanwhile, Nymrod Singh, a suspect in the Miami discovery of 170 kilos of cocaine in a container of furniture from Guyana remains in custody. He is being grilled by the authorities on the December 29 interception in Port Miami.
He is alleged to have sent an earlier shipment of furniture to the same consignee as in this case and authorities in the US are expected to track that shipment. Questions have also been raised about construction associated with him that is currently underway. Singh was nabbed on Saturday in Bartica and has been in custody since.
There are likely to be major developments in both cases this week and closer collaboration between CANU and agencies in the US and Canada.
