POLICE have arrested three of their own for allegedly taking $6M in bribes to set free four men who were caught with large quantities of cocaine in a minibus in Berbice.
Up to press time the three ranks from Berbice including an Assistant Superintendent were under close arrest at the Central Police Station, New Amsterdam. Contacted on the issue, Crime Chief, Wendell Blanhum would only say that ranks from Georgetown have travelled to Berbice to investigate a very pressing matter, but he would neither confirm nor deny the report.
However, usually reliable sources in the Guyana Police Force late last evening confirmed that on September 10, 2015, a vehicle with police ranks were performing patrol duties along the Corentyne corridor when they stopped and searched a minibus which was allegedly carrying large quantities of cocaine and cash.
It is unclear whether the route 63 Moleson Creek to Georgetown mini-bus was heading up the Corentyne or to Georgetown when it was intercepted. This newspaper was told that the police had received a tip-off that the minibus would usually be transporting drugs, guns and cash. They were also provided with the vehicle number and the travel schedule for the bus.
The police ranks while in the vicinity of Springlands, East Corentyne, Berbice, observed the vehicle and decided to stop it to carry out a search of the vehicle and the occupants. It was during that search that the police discovered that the vehicle was indeed ferrying a very large quantity of cocaine and cash at the time. The ranks on the patrol with the most senior one at the time being a police corporal negotiated with the occupants of the vehicle and the occupants agreed to hand over $6M cash on the spot to the three police ranks who were on the patrol.
The men then allowed the vehicle to continue its journey with the cocaine and the remaining large amount of cash while they provided safe passage for the vehicle before returning to a Police Station along the Corentyne Coast. While there the ranks reportedly informed a very senior officer of the illegal transaction that they were involved in, but instead of reprimanding his charges he allegedly took a part of the money. The police source who spoke with this publication indicated that the matter hit the light of day after one of the ranks on the patrol was not satisfied with the amount of money that he received as part of the bargain which had to be done in order to facilitate the bribing of his senior officer.
Another version was however that after word of the transaction began to float around the division a police rank who heard of it contacted a senior police rank who immediately launched an investigation and ordered that the named rank be placed under close arrest. The owner of the minibus and the conductor who were working the minibus on the day in question are not in custody but are said to be cooperating fully with the police in this investigation. However the whereabouts of the cocaine and cash which the minibus was allowed to drive off with have not been located.
The police up to late last evening have not been able to determine where the items were delivered. From all indications according to police sources, the cash and cocaine might have come from neighbouring Suriname. The matter is engaging the attention of ranks from the Criminal Investigation Department in Georgetown who travelled to Berbice yesterday afternoon as well as ranks from the Police Office of Professional Responsibility.
By Leroy Smith
