BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - A joint operation by members of the St. Kitts & Nevis Customs Enforcement Division, the Anti-Narcotics Unit of the Royal St. Christopher & Nevis Police Force, and the Coast Guard Operational Division of the St. Kitts & Nevis Defence Force unearthed a large quantity of Cocaine and Cannabis Sativa aboard a foreign registered cargo vessel on Tuesday (Oct. 4).
The operation was conducted at the Deep Water Harbour Port in Bird Rock, Basseterre at about 8:00 a.m. on the day in question aboard the MV Elizabeth C, which is registered in Trinidad & Tobago with the International Maritime Organisation number 8894574.
According to a joint statement from the Security Forces, the last port of departure prior to its arrival at the Bird Rock Port was St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
During the search operation, between 8:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m., several bales of a white substance suspected to be Cocaine were found. Additionally, a quantity of compressed vegetable material in transparent vacuum-sealed bags suspected to be Cannabis Sativa were also found.
Both the suspected Cocaine and the suspected Cannabis Sativa were concealed within the walls of the cabin of the vessel.
There were five male crew members aboard the vessel - three are nationals of Trinidad & Tobago and two are nationals of Grenada and Carriacou. The men and the suspected narcotics were taken into police custody and are assisting the Narcotics Unit with the investigation.
An initial count revealed that there were 32 bales with each consisting of 25 kilo blocks, which amounted to a total of 800 kgs of suspected Cocaine. And there were 16 transparent vacuumed plastic bags with a total weight of 5.830 kgs/12.852 pounds of suspected Cannabis Sativa.
The suspected Cocaine carries an estimated street value of approximately US$26,400,000 or EC$71,280,000, while the suspected Cannabis Sativa has an estimated street value of approximately US$57,777 or EC$156,000.
Investigations into this matter are ongoing.
