A local cycling coordinator, suspected to have attempted to export some $20M worth of compressed marijuana to Barbados earlier this week, is believed to have fled to neighbouring Suriname, according to a police source.
The first-time exporter, who provided an East Street, South Cummingsburg address on shipping documents to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), was under surveillance by the authorities for sometime and a police source said yesterday that checks at several addresses for the man within the past few days came up empty handed.
The man is said to be integrally involved in the cycling fraternity and reports are that the police have followed on several leads to locate him but all their efforts have proved futile. He is believed to have fled into neighbouring Suriname and reports are that the authorities there have been alerted of the man’s status here.
On Monday, a team of anti-narcotics agents led by the Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) of the GRA unearthed some 50 kilogrammes (110lbs) of compressed marijuana stashed in a quantity of pumpkins destined for Barbados.
The anti-narcotics agents discovered the drugs inside the vegetables in several rice bags in a refrigerated container at the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) wharf. The police and the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) subsequently launched a search for the exporter.
A source reported that the authorities had placed the suspect under surveillance some two months ago, when he was the recipient of some 50 empty metal drums which arrived here aboard a small vessel from Jamaica. Suspicions grew and the man was being “watched” ever since.
Last week, the exporter decided to export a quantity of items, including pumpkins, pineapples and eddoes—to Barbados, in a 20-foot refrigerated container.
Meanwhile, the GRA in a release on the bust yesterday stated that the container was selected for examination after officers at the Container Scanner Operations Unit (CSOU) determined that there was need for a 100% examination of the item, following the discovery of an anomaly in the imagery generated by the container scanner last Friday.
The GRA stated that the police and CANU were briefed by the DEU on the areas of the container to be further examined and the drugs were subsequently discovered stashed within the pumpkins which were in bags.
The shipment was headed for a trading company whose address the exporter provided as being based in St Michael, Barbados this newspaper reported.
The GRA stated yesterday that it will continue to work with various stakeholders to maintain the integrity of shipments leaving these shores and the agency stated that it will publicly report any instances of irregularities.
