Colombian national sanctioned by U.S. for drug trafficking arrested at Kurupukari

Yeison Andres Sanchez Vallejo, a 33-year-old Colombian national was Tuesday detained at the Kurupukari Police Checkpoint during a routine security screening procedure. The man was in a Lethem-bound minibus.

Police Headquarters in a statement said the foreign national had in his possession a passport bearing the immigration stamp “RLL” (Refused Leave to Land).

Subsequent checks revealed Yeison is reportedly among persons sanctioned by the United States of America in relation to drug trafficking activities.

Yeison is among six individuals [four Guyanese and two Colombians] who were sanctioned by the U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) in June this year. They are accused of trafficking tons of cocaine from South America to the United States, Europe, and the Caribbean.