Port officers testify in $550M cocaine-in-lumber trial

 As the trial of four men accused of trafficking $550 million in cocaine found in dressed lumber continued yesterday, two officers who examined a portion of dressed lumber intended for shipment to the United States testified.

On trial are biker Stephen Vieira, motor racers Tazim Gafoor and his son Nazim Gafoor and former drug enforcement officer Sherwayne De Abreu. They were charged after CANU conducted a raid and found the drugs concealed in dressed lumber on May 12th, 2017. The cocaine was reportedly stashed in lumber at a sawmill at Lookout, East Bank Essequibo, which belonged to Narine Lall, for whom an arrest warrant has been issued.

Each officer in his respective evidence-in-chief testified before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court to having examined lumber presented to them by Vieira on May 11th, 2017. The court heard that Vieira had on May 10th requested to schedule an examination of the lumber on the same day, however, he did not show up and so the examination was cancelled.