Months of patient surveillance by members of the Customs Anti- Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Tuesday resulted in a bust of what authorities suspect to be a drug and counterfeit money ring involving Colombians, Venezuelans and Guyanese.

The CANU officers, who have been trailing certain suspects for the past months, arrested five persons, including a Colombian on Tuesday, who had in their possession a quantity of counterfeit US notes.

It was at this point the officers called in members of the Guyana Police Force since they are only authorised to arrest and prosecute persons found in possession of cocaine and marijuana.

A release from the police yesterday said that joint operations between the two law enforcement agencies resulted in five persons, among them a female and a Colombian, being taken into custody for questioning pertaining to the seizure and suspected circulation of counterfeit US currency. The five remain in police custody as the investigation continues.

The operation was executed at two locations, one in Georgetown and the other on the East Bank Demerara and saw the discovery of a total of US$40,000 in one hundred dollar bills.

Stabroek News understands the Colombian, the woman and a man were arrested at a home in Eccles with some of the counterfeit bills, while two Guyanese men were arrested in a liquor restaurant on Charlotte Street.

Officers were saying little about the investigation yesterday since they say the ‘Big Fish’ in the ring were still very much at large.

Sources told this newspaper that for months CANU officers had been trailing certain key persons suspected to be involved in the drugs and money racket.

Sources yesterday said that the persons involved in the racket usually frequented the liquor restaurant.

Further reports indicated that had Tuesday’s bust been conducted a little later CANU officers might have caught the men at the restaurant in the middle of a business transaction.

“They were waiting to conduct business...” a source told this newspaper.

According to reports the officers were aware of the circulation of the counterfeit money which was used to purchase drugs.

It is suspected that the men at the restaurant were waiting on their suppliers when they were busted.

Investigations have reveal-ed that more Colombians are in the country and they are part of the same ring.

Further investigations have led to some persons in neighbouring Venezuela who are suspected to be the persons making the counterfeit US bills.

A source close to CANU said that the law enforcement body had only touched the tip of the iceberg and their “investigations are going well and leading them in the right direction.” “....[they] have been looking at these people for the past four months...it was intense surveillance and the investigation has now heated up.”