The Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU) on Thursday secured a High Court order for the civil forfeiture of foreign and local currency which amounted to over $16 million.
The amounts include $18,780, VEF$1,081,605, and US$79,311, all of which, it was concluded, constituted the proceeds of drug trafficking and money laundering. The sums were seized from Venezuelan woman, Angelica Margarita Lara Malave. No affidavit was filed in the High Court forfeiture matter for or on behalf of Malave
The sums, along with bank cards and Western Union receipts were discovered on January 2, 2018, when the Guyana Police Force (GPF) and the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit executed simultaneous searches in the homes of Gavin Adams, of Grant Woodland, Lower Pomeroon River, and Malave and Yeison Andres Sanchez Vallejo, of Lot 285 Barrow Street, Republic Park, East Bank Demerara.
Eleven kgs of cocaine was said to have been discovered at Adams’ residence, while the forfeited sums and receipts were discovered at the Republic Park residence, of which Malave was the sole occupant.
A perusal of the receipts revealed that the persons under investigation were using different addresses to carry out transactions through Western Union.
These and other circumstances supplied the basis for an inference by police that Malave benefitted from trafficking and money laundering.
Other reasons were that when the currency was found it was concealed in a suitcase containing female clothing; Malave had knowledge that the suitcase and money were in the house; Malave admitted to having no source (s) of income in Guyana; and Malave regularly remitted currency to Vallejo.
The totality of these and other facts led to the identification of Malave and Vallejo as individuals who were actively engaged in remitting foreign currency from Guyana to Colombia in an illicit operation.
The application for the civil forfeiture was heard by Justice Navindra Singh.
On January 26 this year, SOCU had published advertisements signifying that it had filed civil forfeiture proceedings against Malave. It did this as it stated that the whereabouts of the woman were unknown.
On May 22, 2018, Malave was freed on a charge of trafficking in the cocaine which had been discovered in the Pomeroon house on January 2nd, 2018.
Magistrate Judy Latchman had found that there was insufficient evidence in the case against Malave.
