Police destroy over $409M in marijuana, seize illegal firearms in Berbice operations

Ranks from the Guyana Police Force’s Narcotics Branch and Regional Division Six on Sunday carried out two major eradication exercises in the Upper Berbice River, wiping out more than $409 million worth of cannabis and seizing two illegal shotguns with ammunition.

The first operation was conducted at Zion, Upper Berbice River, where ranks uncovered a two-acre plot being prepared for cultivation. Not far from the field, they discovered a 30×20 ft. makeshift camp equipped with both a living and kitchen area. Inside the camp was a drying section holding some 350 lbs of dried cannabis, valued at over $142.8 million. Both the camp and the cannabis were destroyed by fire.

Later that morning, between 05:00 hrs and 10:20 hrs, officers launched a second raid at Kalkuni, Upper Berbice River. There, they found another two-acre farm with about 3,000 cannabis plants ranging between two and seven feet in height. A camp of similar size, complete with a drying area, was also uncovered. Inside, police seized 650 lbs of dried cannabis, along with two unlicensed twelve-gauge shotguns and 19 matching cartridges.

The weapons, which carried no visible serial numbers, have since been submitted to the Ballistics Section for analysis. The cannabis plants, dried marijuana, and camp were all destroyed at the scene.

Police estimate the value of the narcotics destroyed in this second operation to be more than $266 million, bringing the total from both exercises to $409,249,200.

The Guyana Police Force reported that both exercises were carried out without incident, marking another significant blow to the illegal drug trade in the Berbice River region.