Region 5 drug crackdown: 2 charged for narco trafficking as Weldaad bust adds to major WCB seizures

Drug enforcement operations along the West Coast Berbice corridor in Region Five (Mahaica-Berbice) have led to multiple arrests this year, with several interceptions recorded at policing points, including Weldaad and Fort Wellington.
The latest case saw two Berbice men remanded to prison on Monday after being charged in connection with a cannabis bust at Weldaad.

Antonio Peters, 21, a construction worker of Sheet Anchor Village, East Canje, and Delvin Semple, 28, a taxi driver of Timmers Dam, Angoy’s Avenue, New Amsterdam, appeared before Magistrate Michelle Matthias at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court, where they faced a joint charge.
It is alleged that on April 23, while in Weldaad Village, the two men had 2600 grams (approximately 45.4 pounds) of cannabis in their possession for the purpose of trafficking. Both Peters and Semple pleaded not guilty.
In opposing bail, Police Prosecutor Sergeant Garfield Edwards told the court that at the time the narcotics were discovered, the defendants were the sole occupants of the vehicle. He further argued that both men posed a flight risk, highlighting that Semple had provided an inaccurate address, making it difficult for law enforcement officers to locate him if granted bail.
The prosecutor also informed the court that investigators have in their possession a video interview in which both accused allegedly admitted to having the narcotics. Given the seriousness of the offence, he urged the court to refuse bail.
Attorney-at-law Horatio Edmondson, who represented Peters, argued that the prosecution initially opposed bail without properly establishing the nature of the substance. Following clarification by the magistrate that the substance is alleged to be cannabis pending confirmation, Edmondson further pointed out that there was no indication whether the substance had been sent for analysis and noted that no mention of a video interview was made in the initial disclosure.
After hearing submissions, Magistrate Matthias denied bail, citing the gravity of the offence. Peters and Semple were remanded to prison, and the matter was transferred to the Weldaad Magistrate’s Court.
According to Police, the men were arrested during a stop-and-search operation conducted at about 15:40h on April 23 along the Weldaad Public Road, West Coast Berbice. Officers intercepted a white Toyota Fielder waggon with the two occupants and, upon searching the vehicle, discovered four large parcels wrapped in transparent plastic containing leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis. The parcels were concealed in two multi-coloured shopping bags in the trunk.
The suspected narcotics, along with the vehicle and the two men, were taken to the Weldaad Police Station, where the substance was weighed in their presence and amounted to 45.4 pounds before being lodged.
Recently, there have also been drug interceptions by ranks of the Fort Wellington Police Station this year. In January, Police reported two separate cannabis seizures in the Fort Wellington district: two men were arrested after ranks on patrol found 3.70 kilograms of suspected cannabis at Naarstigheid, West Coast Berbice, while later that month, two women were taken into custody after Police intercepted 345.8 pounds of suspected cannabis at Number 10 Public Road. Those two matters together accounted for four arrests and more than 350 pounds of suspected cannabis.