Alleged Police drug bust: Substance in milk packets was not cocaine, tests determine

– duo released after lab tests return negative result

The two persons who were arrested earlier in the week at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, following the discovery of suspected cocaine in Fernleaf packets, were released after lab tests proved that the contents were actually powdered milk.

A senior Police source has told Guyana Times that following the seizure of the milk powder packs, field tests had indicated that the contents were cocaine, but after the substance was sent for lab testing, the results returned negative.
“After the field test showed that the content was cocaine, the ranks did a test at the lab, and it was proven that the content is actually milk powder… As such, the woman who was arrested at the airport and the man who was subsequently arrested were released,” the source noted.
On Monday, the Police, in a release to the media, stated that a 34-year-old woman was arrested after she was busted with over 4kg of suspected cocaine in milk powder packets.
The woman, who is from New Street, Cumberland, Canje, Berbice, was an outgoing passenger on Caribbean Airlines flight BW 217 destined for Barbados.
A search was prompted after the woman was seen acting in a suspicious manner.
Ranks checked her luggage and found several packets of Fernleaf milk among her clothing and other stuff. As a result of the discovery, the Police opened and tested the contents of two of the Fernleaf packets using the Narcotics testing kit, during which there was an indication of a narcotic suspected to be cocaine.
As a result, the woman was told of the offence committed, arrested and cautioned. Initially, she remained silent, but subsequently she claimed that someone (male, name withheld) had given her the items to take to Barbados.
The Police subsequently arrested the man, who admitted giving the woman the packets, but denied knowledge of them containing the illicit drug. The suspected cocaine was weighed and it amounted to 4.873kg.
Following this new development, the Guyana Police Force has not issued a release, nor did it offer an apology for its actions.