This exceptional seizure was subject to “total secrecy”, according to several sources close to the investigation. It was only on Sunday April 28, three days After the operation, that the Fort-de-France prosecutor, Clarisse Taron, confirmed “the seizure of 1.8 tonnes of cocaine at the port” of commerce of Dégrad des Cannes, in Rémire-Montjoly, near Cayenne in Guyana, without further details. “I do not wish to say more given the ongoing investigation, except that there have been no arrests to date and no information [judiciaire] is not yet open », added the magistrate. Like most complex cases in Guyana, this case is placed under the aegis of the specialized interregional jurisdiction (JIRS), based, for the Antilles-Guyana, in Martinique. In Cayenne, the investigation was entrusted to the territorial judicial police service.
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According to our information, the seizure was made on Thursday by the customs service. The drugs were to board a ship to France. The quantity seized is three times higher than the previous record: 1er October 2020, 594 kilos of cocaine were intercepted. In this case, nine suspects were arrested, including a trade unionist from the port platform.
“The noose is tightening on trafficking”rejoices Joël Sollier, attorney general at the Cayenne Court of Appeal. “After the action on the air, the vigilance placed on the maritime is starting to bear fruit”indicates the magistrate World. “The objective is that Guyana is no longer attractive for external traffic, which unfortunately we cannot dry up at the Source”adds the Attorney General.
” Rotating plate “
Neighboring Guyana, Suriname is one of the transit countries for South American cocaine to Europe. In the 2010s, the strengthening of controls in the Netherlands diverted part of the traffic towards Guyana, where seizures have exploded since 2016. In October 2022, a system “100% control” passengers was put in place. The traffickers adapted: on April 12, 303 kilos of cocaine hidden in boxes were seized after being left in the cargo area by two passengers. The drugs were to travel to Paris.
“This seizure at the port proves that Guyana is today a hub for cocaine trafficking”, indicates Claude Plénet, the mayor of Rémire-Montjoly, where the commercial port is located. On September 30, 2022, during the security conference in Cayenne, Gabriel Attal, then Minister of Public Accounts, announced the ” set up “ at the port of“a container scanner”and the arrival of ten additional customs officers on the territory. “To my knowledge, the container scanner has not been installed”remarks Claude Plénet.
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