— CAL engineer questioned
–Minister Benn happy haversacks did not get on plane
AT minutes to midnight on Saturday, two haversacks containing ten packets of what appeared to be cocaine were tossed over the north- eastern parameter of the fence at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri. The substance in the packets, when later weighed and tested, was confirmed to be approximately 10 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Acting on a tip-off, teams from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force rushed over to the country’s main airport and conducted investigations, and were able to recover the haversacks before they were removed by their intended recipient(s). Sniffer dogs were also brought to assist in combing the area.
Yesterday, CANU head James Singh confirmed that there was yet another attempt by someone to get cocaine out of this country by tossing the substance over the airport’s fence.
The Guyana Chronicle was reliably informed that an engineer of Caribbean Airlines was yesterday morning whisked away to the Criminal Investigation Department in Georgetown for questioning, because he was reportedly working in close proximity to where the haversacks landed on the airport tarmac.
A source at the airport told this publication that during the time the haversacks were tossed onto the tarmac, Caribbean Airlines was processing a non-stop flight to New York. The engineer may have therefore been involved in legitimate work, but was questioned because he was the only one around at the time the bags landed on the tarmac.
Airport officials told the Chronicle that the operations of the law enforcement officials did not interrupt the New York-bound flight, and up to the time of take-off, persons on board the plane were not aware that there was an operation on the ground.
The point from where the cocaine was tossed over the fence is usually busy, as persons would often present themselves there to witness the arrival and departure of planes.
The Cheddi Jagan International Airport has a double chain link fence, one of its main aims being to prevent persons from throwing things onto the tarmac. The two chain link fences are situated ten feet apart, and stand approximately ten feet tall, so that a person desirous of throwing anything over them would have to employ a lot of effort to be successful in his enterprise.
Yesterday morning, Public Works Minister, Robeson Benn visited the airport and met with its officials. The Cheddi Jagan International Airport falls under the purview of Minister Benn’s Ministry. The minister told the Guyana Chronicle that he was extremely satisfied with the response time of the law enforcement officers. He also expressed his happiness that the work of the officers prevented the illegal substance from getting onto an aircraft.