Airline staff held after cocaine bust at CJIA

At least five loaders and cargo handlers attached to the Caribbean Airlines are in police custody following the discovery of 25 kilograms (55 lbs) of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) at Timehri, last Thursday evening.
The discovery was made around 22: 00h by members of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Police Narcotics Branch (PNB) after checks in the baggage area. The illicit substance was intended to be loaded onto a BW 526 flight destined for the John F Kennedy International Airport in the United States.
According to information received, the cocaine was on a cart used to transport luggage; it was divided into 25 bricks and concealed in a bag. A CANU official stated that on the evening of the discovery, members of the drug enforcement units were conducting routine checks when the bag was noticed on the cart. He said it was a strange occurrence, and as such, the bag was checked and the drug was subsequently unearthed.
The official disclosed that since the bag was on the cart, it means that bags which were legally checked in would have been placed on top of it, enabling it to get on board the aircraft. It would have been hidden among the other bags and once it was successfully loaded, contact would have been made with the receiving end to offload it before the customs inspection, the official stated.
He also noted that there is no possibility the drug passed through the check-in point since it would have been detected by the scanner.
“And I don’t think that the bag was thrown over the fence because of its weight,” he noted.
He highlighted for the drugs to enter the baggage area, a collaborative effort by the airport and airline staff was necessary. In March, three airport employees were taken into police custody following the discovery of two bags containing 10 packets of cocaine at the CJIA. They were subsequently charged.
The cocaine was discovered in the aerodrome near the perimeter fence on the northern side of the airport.
The discovery was made by the PNB. It was suspected that the bags were intended for a CAL flight destined for the United States.
Following the incident, an airport official, venting his frustration, said despite measures being in place to tackle the drug operations, traffickers seem to be coming up with more innovative ways to smuggle illegal drugs. The security breach led to tighter security measures at strategic locations along the perimeter fence to prevent a recurrence. The official also reiterated the airport’s commitment to fighting the drug trade at any cost.