PHILIPSBURG:--- During a routine control on February 14th, 2020, Customs Officers at the harbor facilities confiscated a container originating from Jamaica with almost 2500 kilo of marijuana. The Marijuana was hidden in a large amount of boxes where the packages were hidden. The contraband was brought over with the assistance of the police to the Philipsburg police station for weighing. When the weighing process was finalized, police and other entities assisted in destroying of the contraband at the dump under the supervision of the public prosecutor’s office.
Once again on Saturday, February 15th Customs Officers at the Princess Juliana airport confiscated and detained a female passenger arriving on the Caribbean Airlines flight from Trinidad originating from Suriname. During a routine check, Customs officers found 4 cylinders filled with cocaine which was in the luggage of the female passenger a Suriname National with initials F.P.W., external help with special tools was needed to extract the cocaine from the cylinders. The cocaine confiscated weighed a total of approximately 5 kilos. This investigation is currently ongoing.
Also on January 25th Customs Officers at the Princess Juliana International airport arrested 2 (two) female passengers arriving on the Winair 805 flight from Curacao. Passengers with initial A.E.P and K.D.S. both American nationals were in possession of approximately 8 kilograms of cocaine hidden in a professional double-layered compartment in their suitcases. This investigation is ongoing.
On February 8th during an intense control at the Princess Juliana Airport, Customs officers detained a male passenger with initials B.C.V., the Surinam national arrived on the Caribbean airline flight (BW884) from Trinidad. Two cocaine-filled packages with a total weight of almost 2 kilograms were found hidden in a black makeup bag inside the luggage of the passenger. This is investigation is currently ongoing.
Customs will continue to intensify controls on both airport and harbor facilities.
Chief of Customs Anthony Doran will also like to thank his staff for their continued dedication, hard work, and determination to combat contraband/illegal goods from entering and/or leaving our country. Our aim is to continue to build up and strengthen our department.
A heartfelt thank you to all the law enforcement departments and entities who participated in assisting The Customs department on February 14th, for finalizing this lengthy process. This is the first time in history for my department to have such a large haul at once.
