Our work is costly and high risk. Guyanese officials have benefited from extra training provided by the US-funded Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, aiming to help authorities in Guyana intercept cocaine flooding into the nation, particularly from Colombia. The sixth and seventh crew members of the notorious MSC Gayane container ship that docked in Philadelphia in 2019 with nearly 20 tons of cocaine aboard have been sentenced for their roles in the drug haul. If you were blowing lines in the 1980s (read: everyone in the 80s), it probably came from him. On November 4, it was reported that Belgian authorities had intercepted a vessel that allegedly left Guyana with a whooping 11.5 tonnes of cocaine the largest drug bust ever. A recent string of high-profile interceptions targeting international drug trafficking operations has confirmed Guyana remains a crucial transit point for cocaine headed to the United States and across the Atlantic. The record-breaking shipment was expected by law enforcement officials as they suspected it left the port of Guyana after members of the drug gangs arrest in Belgium, with drug gangs unable to intercept it once at sea, De Standaard reports. BREAKING: Belgium finds 11.5 Tons of Cocaine in Guyana scrap As investigations continue into the US$1.06 billion drug bust in Belgium earlier this month, Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh has revealed that Guyana was used as a transshipment point. On November 10, the US Department of Justice issued anews release, stating that Shaun Nebblett, alias Dapper, was the first citizen extradited from Guyana to face federal charges in the United States since 1999. When the Coast Guard ships, who were just out cruising around, approached the Gatun, the crew did not protest. Tranquilandia was located deep in the unkempt jungles of Colombia and consisted of eight airstrips, had its own electrical grid and water supply, and housed 19 laboratories dedicated solely to the manufacturing of cocaine. Officers walked by a truck they suspected to be part of a huge heroin ring and sawin plain sighta brick of heroin just hanging out of an open box. It was the largest seizure of illegal drugs in the two-century history of U.S. Customs. Belgian Law Enforcement Officers are on the hunt for a number of suspects and have been in touch with local law enforcement officials. WebCounter narcotics prosecutors said they had tracked the transatlantic journey of 11.5-tons (23,000 pounds) of cocaine from Guyana, on the northeastern coast of South America, The Largest Drug Busts in History | Banyan Philadelphia However, he added that on a smaller scale, the use of scrap metal to conceal outward bound drugs had been problematic for authorities worldwide. But now their nephew is back and says he is taking over. 14 April, 2023. In 1991, police officers seized 59 boxes containing 1080 pounds of Heroin, with a street At the end of the day, they confiscated over a billion dollars from Escobar. var cx = '014742376270991751669:2oy3vex5f7k'; You know those double-decker buses in London? gcse.async = true; But when youre spending over $1,000 a week on rubber bands just to wrap your stacks and stacks of money, does losing a billion of it really matter? The catch is the largest overseas drug bust ever, worldwide, federal prosecutors told Belgian media, estimating the street value of the drug load at 900 million. The total weight of the drugs is approximately 139.4 kilograms (307 pounds) and the estimated street value is US$6.59 million. A record meth bust part of a national operation was announced Wednesday, Oct. 14, 2020. Cranes unload the freight ship MSC Gayane, after US authorities seized more than 16 tons of cocaine at the Packer Marine Terminal in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on June 18, 2019. })(); 2013 - 2017 New Source Guyana | Website by. Aevin Dugas first achieved the record title for largest afro in 2010. The street value of the cocaine seized has been estimated at more than $1 billion. In the late 1980s, UPI reported Guyana was an integral part of South Americas new drug smuggling route, as criminal groups sent increased loads of marijuana and cocaine across the Atlantic past outnumbered Guyanese authorities. He added that robust counter-narcotics measures taken by nearby nations had resulted in a balloon effect, pushing traffickers to establish new routes in Guyana. var gcse = document.createElement('script'); WebDilogo, a digital US military magazine, reported that at the end of 2012, Malaysian authorities had intercepted a staggering $7.1 million worth of cocaine in sealed tins of Elections inquiry unable to say if Livan adjusted Region Four votes, Handyman stabbed to death near West Dem bar, Exxon says has responded to IHS Markit audit, Governments urged to honour convention which recognises, protects domestic workers, Findlay, Nandlall maintain Ali acted in law in appointment of PSC head, Special committee set up to formulate school security policy Manickchand, CANU awaiting intel from Jamaica for probe into 306lb cocaine find, Findings on probe of cocaine intercepted in Jamaica shared with agencies here, CANU questioning shippers, brokers over Jamaica cocaine find, ANUG calls on govt to come clean on Home Affairs PS, Venezuelan woman gets six months for operating brothel, Chopped No. classi_advt@yahoo.com or gnnladvertisingdepartment@gmail.com, Chronicles of a Chronic Guyana Chronicler, Patrons already flocking to get back into the gyms, Relief for Victoria, Nabaclis and Golden Grove farmers. Stock picture. The cocaine was found in a container of rice that was destined for Haiti and a container of logs that was heading to China. Canada's Largest Drug Bust | Narco Wars: The Mob - YouTube Afghanistan's biggest drug problem is not hashish but opium. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram. Get fresh updates on organized crime from across the region delivered to your inbox. The 1,000 packages of coke (later mysteriously changed to 919 packagesby Navy Adm. Guillermo Barrera) weighed 55 pounds each, and were buried in an estuary near the town of Pizarro, 250 miles west of Bogota. Mr. Singh said the information sharing between the law enforcement authorities in Jamaica and Guyana has been flowing. Authorities in The Netherlands on Thursday last discovered over 1100lbs of cocaine in a rum shipment that departed Guyana. In Belgium, three police officers, a port manager and a lawyer were among the more than 20 persons arrested as part of the operation targeting what the authorities describe as the well-structured criminal organisation suspected of orchestrating large and regular drug shipments from South America to Belgium. All rights reserved. 2022 saw largest drug busts for police force | Guyana Standard It carried an estimated street value of 900 million Euros. WebBelgian prosecutors have dealt a new blow to a recently disbanded drug gang led by a former Belgian police chief after announcing the largest-ever overseas drug bust "in the Law enforcement sources told NBC10 in 2019 that the cocaine was not meant for Philadelphia, but instead for the Netherlands and France. Please support our mission investigating organized crime. I have been running my elderly bachelor neighbours farm for years and they signed a letter leaving it to me. Credited as the biggest drug bust in Mexicos history, Mexican authorities seized 105 tons of marijuana in Tijuana. A spokesperson for the Customs Investigations Office said the cocaine seizure was one of the largest in Hamburgs history, and the Hamburger Abendblatt reportedthe load had an estimated street value of around 300 million ($353 million). The nation's President Irfaan Ali who was sworn in just over three months ago has mandated that CANU must work more closely with its foreign counterparts in joint operations to dismantle various networks, according to Singh. The drug may alsotransit land borders and the river network shared by Brazil, Venezuela and Suriname before it reaches Guyana. The score, valued at $1.5 billion, was the largest seizure of methamphetamines and the second-largest of MDMA in the nations history. The Guyana Chronicle reported that two of the suspects in custody were customs officers on duty as the load was scanned before it left for Belgium. Guyanas strategic locationand corruption at its ports underpin the nations ongoing role as a crucial transit hub for cocaine headed across the Atlantic and beyond. Amount Seized: 105 tons of marijuanaValue: $425 million. Singh added that with the disappearance of images of the scanned container, the work of the drug enforcement unit gets even tougher. According to CANU, it was confirmed that all 12 of the said containers were scanned locally by operatives of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) and no narcotic was detected nor were their seals appeared to have been tampered with. Meanwhile, back in August, customs officials in the port of Hamburg, Germany, made one of the ports largest drug busts. It was reported that counter-narcotics prosecutors tracked the transatlantic journey of 11.5 tonnes of cocaine from Guyana, on the northeastern coast of South America, and seized it upon its arrival at the Port of Antwerp, Belgium. A FREE roundup of top news from Guyana you might otherwise miss. Authorities have seized 15,000kg of cocaine from a ship in Philadelphia in what was described as one of the largest drug busts in American history - worth an estimated $1bn (891m). Region 4 Round 2 matchups to conclude tomorrow as the Speakers Regional Youth Debating Competition 2023 continues. According to the report, prosecutors were able to track the shipment following the dismantlement of a drug trafficking gang led by a former Belgian counter-narcotics chief, which revealed the existence of tight-knit links between criminal gangs and counter-narcotics and law enforcement officials.