RANKS of the Georgetown City Constabulary, around 14:00 hrs on Friday conducted a cordon-and-search exercise at the front entrance to the Stabroek Market and found a quantity of what was described as marijuana.The find consisted of leaves, seed and stems, compressed, packaged in tiny zip-lock packets and ready for the market.
Acting Chief Constable for the Constabulary, Gordon Langevine, told reporters that the discovery was made during a ‘cordon-and-search’ operation mounted by the Constabulary ranks.

The area searched – under the canopy extending from north to south, of the Water Street entrance to the Stabroek Market — Langevine said, is a known ‘trouble spot’ where all sorts of nefarious activities take place.
The Chief Constable took reporters to an unused and tightly shuttered stand north of the canopy where the discovery was made. There, some 100 packets of the substance were concealed in black plastic bags and hidden between the back of the stand and the wall of the market.
According to Langevine, it is the second time for the week that such discoveries have been made. Just the day before (on Wednesday), another find of leaves, seeds and stems was made by ranks of the Constabulary.
The Chief Constable said the items found were handed over to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) ranks at Brickdam for processing and further investigations. He said too that his ranks came close to apprehending a suspect who had two handguns.
However, it would appear the suspect was alerted by someone that the ranks were carrying out a search and he threw them into a corner of the market and escaped.
The ranks failed to locate both the guns and the suspect.
Noting that the area, described as ‘Section 7’ under the canopy is always a source of concern for the Council and for security, Langevine, with an air of accomplishment said: “I was very optimistic that today we would have found narcotics.”
He said over a period of three months, the Constabulary has been making steady drug busts with narcotics – leaves, seeds and stems.
‘‘So far, one person was arrested,” he said, adding, “Yesterday [Wednesday] we had a cordon-and-search and found some narcotics which have been handed over to the police at Brickdam. Today we did another ‘cordon-and-search’ and I, as the Chief Constable, decided that I should come out with my men and give them the confidence based on my intelligence garnered.”

He said the stall identified is not being used and as such, turns out to be a haven for criminal activities.
“They use it as a cover to hide the narcotics,” he said, noting that the area under discussion is a hindrance to security.
The ranks were instructed to throw out all the packets onto the floor to give reporters an opportunity to observe carefully.
Meanwhile, vendors legally plying their trade in the Stabroek Market, reacting to statements made by the Chief Constable that some vendors know who the culpable ones are, took objection, saying that they are at the market making an honest living and consider it an affront that the Council should even suggest that they have knowledge of untoward or dishonest activities being conducted around them.