A major drug bust on a container ship that has been described as the largest ever overseas drug bust in the world, has been traced to Guyana.
The cocaine that was found in a container with scrap metal at the Belgian port of Antwerp carried a weight of 11.5 tons, according to Belgian Law Enforcement.
Belgian Prosecutors are also linking the bust to a former Belgian Police Chief who was the head of a recently disbanded drug gang in the European country.
According to media reports out of Belgium, the Counternarcotics prosecutors there have tracked the transatlantic journey of the 11.5-tons of cocaine from Guyana. The cocaine was seized upon its arrival at the Port of Antwerp.
The catch is “the largest overseas drug bust ever, worldwide,” federal prosecutors told Belgian media, estimating the street value of the drug load at more than €900 million.
Belgian Prosecutors have reported to the media there that the cocaine left a port in Guyana in late October. Drug prosecutors were able to track and follow the shipment.
In Belgium, three police officers, a port manager and a lawyer were among the more than 20 persons arrested as part of the operation targeting what the authorities describe as the “well-structured” criminal organisation suspected of orchestrating large and “regular” drug shipments from South America to Belgium.
According to a report in the Belgian Times newspaper, the record-breaking shipment was expected by law enforcement officials as it is suspected that the cocaine left the port in Guyana after the drug gang’s arrest in Belgium.
The cocaine was found disguised as scrap metal and placed inside a steel container which was in turn packed into a sea container and loaded into a transatlantic vessel.
Belgian Law Enforcement Officers are on the hunt for a number of suspects and have been in touch with local law enforcement officials.
Head of CANU James Singh told News Source this afternoon that two persons including the shipper of the container that was found with the cocaine are in custody.
He said the local agency has been in touch with law enforcement officers in Belgium and the two sides are working together. The CANU head said other details on the local probe cannot be provided at this time.
The latest drug bust overseas in containers from Guyana is once again raising questions about the inspection of containers before they leave Guyana.
A few weeks ago, there was a drug bust in a container of rice from Guyana in Germany. In that case, it was suspected that the cocaine might have been placed in the rice shipment after it left Guyana and during its many stops before it reached Germany.
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