Cocaine found in rice bags in container destined for Belgium

TIMES INT'L

The interception of an outgoing shipment over the weekend has led local authorities to the discovery of some 147 pounds (66.8 kilos) of cocaine, randomly hidden in sealed 45-kilogram bags of rice destined for export to Belgium.

The parcels containing cocaine that were unearthed in the rice
consignment
One of the rice bags in which the cocaine parcels were concealed

Guyana Times International understands that city businessman Andre Poonai, of Golden Grains Investments Limited, has since been arrested and taken into custody to assist with the investigation.
According to reports, the raid commenced at the John Fernandes Wharf, Water Street, Georgetown since Friday, October 27, 2017. However, the narcotics were uncovered just before lunch the following day. The containers were scheduled to leave Guyana Friday evening.
During the exercise, the officers unloaded and searched the five rice-filled 20-foot containers, and discovered taped parcels containing a white powdery substance in some of the rice bags.
The suspected cocaine was weighed. The bust was a collaborative effort between agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Guyana Revenue Authority’s Container Control Programme (CCP).
According to CANU, the broker responsible for the rice consignment remains in custody. The businessman reportedly gave a Barr Street, Kitty, Georgetown address on the shipping documents, but it turned out that no operations were being carried out there.
Back in August, Narcotics Police in Jamaica found cocaine with a street value of over J$100 million in a shipment of rice that travelled from Guyana through the Dominican Republic.
It was reported that the Police, accompanied by members of the Customs Contraband Enforcement Team, conducted a snap operation at the Kingston Container Terminal and immediately trained their focus on cargo from specific containers. During the examination of a 40-foot container, a total of five leather bags were revealed to be hidden among the shipment.
The bags had a total of 78 parcels, each containing the white powdery substance.

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