Caribbean Airlines refutes claims its employee was questioned
AS the police continue investigating the incident in which cocaine was tossed over the perimeter fence of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Caribbean Airlines Limited yesterday refuted media claims that one of its employees was questioned in connection with the incident. The airline stated via press release that several persons were questioned in connection with that bust, including a mechanic. “The individual is not in the employ of Caribbean Airlines; rather, the individual is attached to a foreign company.”
Acting on a tip-off, teams from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) of the Guyana Police Force rushed over to the country’s main airport to conduct 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.
A source at the airport told the Guyana Chronicle on Sunday that when the haversacks were tossed onto the tarmac, Caribbean Airlines’ officials were processing a non-stop flight to New York. The source added, among other things, that the engineer was questioned because he was the only one around at the time the bags landed on the tarmac.
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, erected with the specific purpose to prevent persons from throwing things onto the tarmac. The two chain link fences are situated 10 feet apart and stand approximately 10 feet tall, so that a person desirous of throwing anything over them would have to employ a lot of effort to be successful in that enterprise.
On Sunday, Public Works Minister Robeson Benn visited the airport and met with officials. The Cheddi Jagan International Airport falls under the purview of the Ministry of Works, and on Sunday, Works Minister Robeson Benn said 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.