Suriname seeks international help on drug seizures

(De Ware Tijd) – Suriname has submitted five requests for legal assistance to the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Pakistan, South-Africa and Great Britain. It involves requests for information about recent seizures in those countries of drugs that were found in cargo allegedly originating from Suriname. “Only the Dutch have replied so far, as the diplomatic communication with the other countries is not that smooth”, says Krishnakoemarie Mathoera, head of the Judicial Department of the Suriname Police Corps. The legal assistance requests were submitted via the Ministry of Foreign Affairs by means of the Prosecutor General. Last week, five men were arrested for their alleged involvement in the smuggling of some 100 kilos of cocaine to the Netherlands. In recent months, more than 600 kilos of cocaine were found in cargo that allegedly came from Suriname by authorities in the Netherlands, Bulgaria, Pakistan, Great Britain and South Africa.