A press release from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) said the discovery of the marijuana (ganja) took place after a Coast Guard rank, who is not a crew member and who was absent without leave, attempted to illegally board the Essequibo and was arrested.

During the interrogation, he disclosed the presence of the marijuana aboard the vessel, it said.

The Army said the Defence Board was notified and instructed that a thorough investigation be immediately carried out and recalled the vessel to Port Georgetown to allow the investigation to be conducted.

The vessel commander notified the Directors of the exercise about the vessel's recall, the release said.

The Army said the Defence Board has been in contact with the American Ambassador in Guyana and the United States Army Southern Command (US SOUTHCOM) in Miami, which is responsible for the funding of `Exercise Tradewinds'.

The `GDFS Essequibo', the Army's flagship, sailed out of Port Georgetown Monday for Barbados where the vessel and crew members were to participate in this year's Coast Guard Phase of `Exercise Tradewinds'.

The vessel, with seven Officers and 33 Ratings under the command of Lieutenant Commander Floyd Levi, arrived Wednesday in Barbados from where the crew members were to commence training with their Caribbean counterparts, an earlier press release from the Army said.

This would have been the second time the `GDFS Essequibo' would have been participating in Tradewinds exercises since its acquisition some two years ago.

According to Lt Commander Levi, the GDF Coast Guard contingent was to focus on networking with all participating Coast Guard units within the Caribbean as well as those units from the American and British forces.

Additionally, the GDF Coast Guard was to be engaged in the conduct of Maritime Law Enforcement and Search and Rescue Operations during the exercise, scheduled to conclude on Friday, May 23.

Tradewinds is an annual exercise involving troops and security personnel from the seven-nation Regional Security System (RSS) grouping and other invited armies.

The nations that comprise the RSS grouping are: Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines and St. Lucia.

Troops from the U.S., the UK and some Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries outside the RSS grouping also participate in Tradewinds Exercises.

The Regional Security System was born out of the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) by the seven-member states to provide mutual support to each other.