1.1kg cocaine, 4.5kg ganja found in Bartica drug bust

Police have arrested three persons following the discovery of more than 5.6 kilograms (kg) of suspected narcotics during separate searches in Bartica, Region Seven, on Sunday. According to Police, at about 16:08h on Sunday, ranks, acting on information received, went to a property in Bartica where they contacted a 38-year-old female dispatcher and conducted a search in her presence.

During the search, ranks found a cardboard box wrapped in a plastic bag in the front portion of the yard. The box contained seven bulky parcels. Six of the parcels contained leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis, while the seventh contained a whitish, rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine. The woman was arrested and taken to the Bartica Police Station along with the narcotics. The substances were weighed in her presence, with the cannabis amounting to 4,506 grams and the cocaine weighing 1,107 grams. As investigations continued, Police apprehended a 43-year-old businessman of Vigilance, East Coast Demerara (ECD), in connection with the matter. Police said he was also wanted on an arrest warrant in relation to a separate narcotics matter. At the time of his apprehension, the businessman was in the company of a 36-year-old taxi driver of Bartica. Police searched the motor car in their presence and found a plastic bag containing a whitish, rock-like substance suspected to be cocaine in the driver’s-side pocket. The substance was weighed in the presence of the taxi driver and amounted to 2.7 grams. He was arrested in connection with the discovery, while the businessman was also taken into Police custody as part of the ongoing investigation. All three persons remain in custody as investigations continue.