Two persons have been arrested by agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) with approximately $37 million worth of cannabis in their possession.
Based on information received, CANU officers conducting an operation in the vicinity of Mandela Avenue, Georgetown on Wednesday, January 11, intercepted a motor vehicle with one occupant. 
“A subsequent search of the motor vehicle revealed several parcels of suspected cannabis,” CANU has said in a release.
Further investigations led to the suspect being escorted to a premises at Eccles Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, where a search conducted on the property in the presence of the suspect and the owner unearthed several parcels containing ganja which were concealed in plastic barrels.
Subsequently, Sean Thomas, also called ‘Yankee’, 43, of William Street, Kitty, Georgetown, and Bulah London, 41, of Eccles Housing Scheme, EBD, were arrested and taken to CANU Headquarters. The narcotics were weighed in their presence, and amounted to 123.85kg, which has a street value of approximately Gy$37 million.
Thomas appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Diamond Magistrates’ Court on Friday and pleaded not guilty to trafficking in narcotics. He was remanded to prison, and will make his next court appearance on March 14, 2023.
Earlier in the month, CANU had reported seizing a whopping $1.1 billion worth of narcotics, which amounted to 3,403 kilograms, for 2022.
By type, the seized narcotics comprised 121.31kg of cocaine; 3280.25kg of ganja; 818.7 grams of ecstasy; 302.6 grams of methamphetamine, and 1kg of cannabis seeds.
According to statistics provided by CANU, these seizures were made in Regions Four, Six, Nine, Three, and Ten, with Region Four accounting for the largest seizure of narcotics.
In Region Four, 104.49kg of cocaine, 410.12kg of cannabis, 302.6g of methamphetamine, 366g of ecstasy, and 1kg of cannabis seeds were confiscated. In Region Six, 50g of cocaine, 2845.52kg of cannabis, and 452.7g of ecstasy were seized; while in Region Nine, 22g of cocaine and 4.81 kg of cannabis were seized. 16.74kg of cocaine and 118g of cannabis were seized in Region Three, while 19.67kg of cannabis were confiscated in Region 10.
With respect to cases and convictions, CANU reported that, for 2022, from the 115 cases that were made out for narco-trafficking, 42 convictions were secured. This also showed an increase from 2021, when 75 cases were made out and 24 convictions were secured.
Of the 115 cases made out in 2022, 80 were for possession of cannabis, 29 were for possession of cocaine, four were for possession of ecstasy, and two were for possession of methamphetamine.
