Police in major ganja bust at De Veldt

In a release police said on Thursday between 04:00 hours and 15:00 hours an eradication exercise was conducted by a party of police ranks drawn from Regional Division 6 and Narcotics Branch, CID Headquarters.
The team, led by a senior officer, conducted the operation at De Veldt, Berbice River in three different areas with ten fields and 251 banks measuring 42 feet by 20 feet with approximately 211,220 cannabis sativa plants ranging from 2-6 feet in height.

Five camps were also discovered along with a drying area. In one of the camps, approximately two thousand five hundred pounds of dried cannabis was found.

A search of a nearby clump of bushes resulted in one Maverick Twelve Guage shotgun along with 49 live 12 guage cartridges being found. A nursery with approximately two hundred thousand seedlings was also found. The estimated weight of the dried and eradicated cannabis is three hundred and thirty seven thousand two hundred and sixty three (337, 263) kilograms with an estimated value of several billion dollars, based on approved pricing used.

The suspected cannabis and camps were destroyed by fire. Firearm and ammunition along with a cellular phone found were taken into custody and lodged pending further investigation. No one was arrested.