A LARGE quantity of cocaine was intercepted yesterday when members of the drug enforcement arm of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) unearthed the substance during the examination of a consignment of plywood destined for the United States. In a statement, the GRA said that members of its Drug Enforcement and Goods Examination Units along with the Port Control Unit (PCU) were in the process of examining a consignment of 5/8 inch plywood destined for Florida in the United States of America (USA), when upon closer examination anomalies were detected within the consignment. Further examination and testing revealed a quantity of cocaine concealed between the approximately 320 sheets of plywood.
As such, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Guyana Police Force (GPF) were informed and officials of both agencies arrived on the scene to provide support and carry out further investigations. The plywood’s consignee was listed as a business located on the Soesdyke-Linden Highway with the consignment’s prospective recipient being a hardware establishment in Florida. GRA officials had become even more suspicious of the contents of the consignment based on the suspicious behaviour displayed by the consignee’s representatives during the examination process. Three persons have since been detained as the investigation continues.