GEORGETOWN, Guyana (CMC) — Guyana’s newly appointed Home Affairs Minister, Oneidge Walrond, has described the interception of more than 147 pounds of cocaine destined for Europe over the last weekend as a major win against trans-border crime.

“Another major win against trans-border crime!…This is about more than an arrest — it’s about protecting our borders, safeguarding our people and defending Guyana’s good name on the international stage,” she said in a statement shared across her social media platforms.

The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) said it had intercepted the cocaine as it was about to be placed on board a KLM flight destined for Amsterdam.

CANU said its officers, acting on a tipoff, conducted an operation at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) and “intercepted 53 parcels, suspected to be cocaine, which were intended to be placed on a KLM flight destined for Amsterdam”.

It said that one person is assisting in the investigations and that the suspected narcotics were weighed and mounted to 147.2688 pounds. It gave no street value of the drugs.