Hours after the fiery protest at Buxton, East Coast Demerara (ECD), the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) has said that Buxtonian assaulted its ranks, damaged several vehicles, and attempted to free the suspect.
In a statement, CANU said it conducted an operation at Buxton on Wednesday to intercept a motor vehicle.
But instead, the vehicle drove into Buxton and evaded the officers on several occasions, including at a roadblock on the Buxton Public Road.
“A search of the vehicle led to the discovery of 12 parcels of suspected cannabis which amounted to 23.2kgs. The driver, Odearie Phillips, 25 years of Vigilance Housing Scheme, East Coast Demerara, was arrested,” CANU said.
According to the law enforcement agency, the street value of the drugs is approximately $7 million.
“Members of the public became hostile, assaulted several officers, and damaged several of the unit’s vehicles in an attempt to free Phillips, who was in lawful custody, by pulling him out of CANU’s vehicle.”
This resulted in several shots being discharged into the air. Investigations are in progress.
