$2.4m in cocaine found at Pt Lisas port

POLICE are searching for an Arima businessman whose name and address appeared on documents relating to a container where over two million worth of cocaine was found at Plipdeco.

According to police reports, officers of the Organised Crime and Intelligence Unit (OCIU) along with officers of Custom and Excise Division seized 24.56 kilograms of cocaine in a container destined for St Marteen.

In a media release, police said the container arrived on the port at Point Lisas last Tuesday at 9 pm from Maturita, Arima. The container was scanned and its contents were found to be suspicious the release said. OCIU officers were contacted and opened the container where the packages were searched and the drugs with an estimated street value of $2.4 million were found.

Plipdeco chairman Ian Atherly said he was awaiting an official report on a discovery and expressed delight that the scanners placed at the Point Lisas port had played a major role in the discovery of the drugs.

“At the moment I am awaiting a report from the Plipdeco president who is himself trying to get a report from Customs regarding the matter.”

Atherly said the mobile vehicle and cargo Inspection System Scanners which were donated by the US Customs and Border Protection last year, “have already begun to do their job.” He said he was confident that more illegal items would be intercepted thanks to the scanners adding: “I hope a lot more will be detected as we do our part in tightening security at our ports of entry.”