THE Drug Enforcement Unit of the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) on Wednesday afternoon stumbled upon a large shipment of smuggled liquor at the Guyana National Industrial Corporation (GNIC) wharf on Water Street, Georgetown.

A source at the GRA noted that the liquor, which included a large quantity of Hennessy cognac, was found in a 20-foot container.

Investigators at the scene were pursuing records of the shipment in order to arrest those responsible for importing the alcoholic beverages.

Unofficial estimates put the value of the undeclared liquor at US$200,000.

Reports are that investigators suspect collusion between a GRA staffer and the shipper who owns a shipping agency.

One GRA official said the liquor was shipped from a Caribbean island and was declared as utensils and used clothing.

GRA last year launched a major project to stamp imported alcohol with a high-security bar-coded stamp.

These stamps are designed to reduce the leakage of an estimated $2B in taxes that Guyana loses annually from smuggled hard liquor and cigarettes.

Using a mobile scanner, enforcement officers could determine right away whether the taxes have been paid or attempts were made to forge the stamps.