Drugs go up in smoke

As illegal drugs with a street value of more than EC $13 million went up in plumes of tire and gasoline fueled smoke on Tuesday, Commissioner of Police Keith Miller vowed to continue the war on drugs.{{more}}

Hidden in suitcases, crocus bags, hand bags, boxes, buckets and biscuit cans, over 7000 pounds of marijuana and more than nine kilograms of cocaine were torched at the riverbed of the Rabacca Dry River.

Missing from the blaze are the 700 pounds of cocaine recovered from the Venezuelan vessel that hit a reef in the Tobago Cays more than one month ago.

This batch, according to Miller, is still tied up in the courts.

The burning was done in the presence of court officials, members of the clergy and media, who waited for more than four hours for the event, which may soon become a ritual, to take place.

According to Miller, most of the drugs seized were intercepted at our airports, seaports and territorial waters, destined for international markets.

The Commissioner took the opportunity to commend the local Police and Coast Guard, and also the Regional Security Services, whom he said the local authorities were working with, to cut off the movement of drugs to St. Vincent and the Grenadines from the south.

He said that Tuesday’s exercise was a testimony to the effort that the police are making to eradicate drugs in this country.

Miller lamented that the drug trade is the largest contributor to the rise in crime and violence in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and called on traffickers to consider what they are doing to the country.

He also made a call for youths considering a life of crime to make a better choice by becoming a police recruit.

He ended by saying that a major eradication programme is set to take place soon, with help from the RSS. (JJ)