Authorities in the South American country of Guyana say they have discovered USD 13 million worth of cocaine aboard a ship that arrived from neighboring Suriname.
The director of the anti-narcotics unit says that officers have so far found an estimated 1,400 kilograms (3,090 pounds) aboard the Cyprus-registered ship named "The Delta Diedre." James Singh said the ship's crew was detained early today.
He said the ship was traveling toward the southeastern port town of Linden to load bauxite from China's Bosai Minerals Group. The ship was then scheduled to travel to Spain, the Netherlands and Belgium.
Guyanese authorities, in collaboration with their counterparts in Suriname, have seized an estimated 120 kilogrammes of cocaine from a Cyprus-registered cargo ship that came here to collect a consignment of bauxite, Commissioner General of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA), Kurshid Sattaur said Tuesday.
Officials estimate the street value of the narcotic at about US$10 million.
The GRA boss said the cocaine was stashed under the wooden base of a shipping container flat rack aboard the MV Delta Diedre. Head of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh said the vessel was leaving Guyana for Spain, The Netherlands and Belgium.
Sattaur said the joint operation between the GRAâs Drug Enforcement Unit (DEU) and CANU was mounted based on information provided by Surinameâs Port Control Unit.
âThis is a major breakthrough in intercepting drugs. We are very pleased about this as well. It is a joint intelligence sharing that has resulted in this bust,â he told Caribbean News Desk.
The MV Delta Diedre was leaving Linden, where it had loaded a consignment of bauxite to be taken to Europe, when it was intercepted by anti-drug agents late Monday night.
The flat rack was taken to the John Fernandes Limited container terminal where numerous packets of the cocaine were taken off, weighed and seized as evidence.
The captain and crew members have been arrested.
