A number of security and other staffers at the Cheddi Jagan Airport are under investigation after a passenger who traveled from Guyana to New York, was held in New York with 40 pounds of cocaine in his suitcases, senior Drug Enforcement officials have told News Source.
The 22-year-old passenger has since been charged and is expected back in a New York Court tomorrow. He is a Guyanese national with US residency. His name has been given as Zacharie Scott, and US officials said he has not only admitted to drug trafficking, but also told investigators that he was expecting to be be paid between US$5000 and US$6000 for ferrying the drugs to the US.
News Source understands that a second passenger may also be in custody in connection with another drug bust.
The Customs Anti Narcotics Unit along with the Police are leading the local end of the investigations, as they try to figure out how the cocaine, which was wrapped in packages of jumbo shrimp, was able to make it pass all the layers of security at the airport and onto an American Airlines flight on Friday.
The passenger was arrested at JFK Airport in New York after the cocaine was found in his bags. He has been assisting US officials with their probe.
News Source understands that local investigators suspect that there was some collusion between multiple airport staffers from different agencies, that allowed for the cocaine to pass through the airport and onto the US-bound flight undetected.
This latest bust follows a recent bust in Canada linked to the Cheddi Jagan Airport. In that Canada bust, more than 50 pounds of cocaine was found on an unaccompanied suitcase that arrived on a Caribbean Airlines flight from Guyana. The investigation into that bust is ongoing, and there has been no local arrest.
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