The bales, which were hidden in a concealed section of the container, are believed to have a street value of approximately $12M. The container was about to be loaded on the `Henrich-J’ docked at the wharf of John Fernandes Shipping Limited.

It was tagged for shipment to Miami and the vessel was scheduled to sail last night.

The compressed drug was packed in parcels of varying sizes and stacked in an area seven feet high and about three feet wide.

All the parcels bore markings including BBL; KAZ; LNC; SKP; MK; DV; GC; BT and BCC. It took the CANU and Customs officials some two hours to remove, weigh, and load the parcels into a vehicle for removal under tight security.

The exercise was done under the watchful eyes of Deputy Head of the CANU, Vibert Inniss; media operatives and some officials and workers of John Fernandes Limited.

In foreground is the false wall behind which parcels of drugs were stacked. (Picture by Quacy Sampson)
The Chronicle learnt that the container, which bears a Sea Freight Line logo, arrived here from Jamaica with a consignment of cement.

Local agents for Sea Freight Line, C&V Caribbean Shipping Limited, when contacted, said they were advised that all queries regarding the container should be directed to CANU.

Inniss told the media that for sometime now CANU and Customs have been carrying out a joint operation to target empty containers. He added that the mode is frequently used for drugs being transshipped from Guyana.

Yesterday’s bust was made during one such exercise.
Asked what caught the suspicious eyes of his ranks, the senior CANU officer explained that persons familiar with containers can assess the volume of a container with one glance.

He said, too, that when the container was opened fresh paint was evident on its walls.

This is the second container drug bust. The first was on January 5, 1995 at the same John Fernandes Shipping wharf.

Then, a quantity of 5,000 pounds of marijuana was uncovered in another 40-ft container, which was also being shipped to Miami.

Investigations led to a then popular Regent Street businessman and another associate being convicted and jailed.

Ironically, a meeting of Executives of the Caribbean Shipping Association (CSA), at which it was reported that smuggling of drugs via shipping in Guyana's waters and under-invoicing of cargo coming into Port Georgetown are on the increase.

The disclosure was made by a senior Customs and Trade Administration official, who told the meeting that although joint anti-smuggling exercises are conducted by the Police, the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit and the Guyana Defence Force's Coast Guard, "there is a significant increase of smuggling activities" along Guyana's rivers and borders.

Either crew members of vessels, used for pleasure, commercial reasons or for fishing, are involved in the transport of goods and drugs, or the prohibited substance is dumped overboard and later recovered by other vessels, persons or otherwise.

In addition, a container may also contain illicit cargo, but that "other persons manipulate paper work" to avert discovery of the contents of the container.

Some crew of large vessels may work along with stevedores or shipping lines personnel at ports of entry to place the drugs in bulk cargo or conceal them in conspicuous areas, the official added.