Updated

Authorities at Guyana's main airport have revoked security passes for a dozen employees following an uptick in cocaine-stuffed suitcases intercepted on flights to New York.

Ramesh Ghir is the CEO of Cheddi Jagan Airport and said Monday that authorities have "cancelled about a dozen passes of contracted baggage handlers and others."

There have been at least four drug smuggling cases on flights to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport over the last year. The most recent seizure was two weeks ago when U.S. authorities found six kilograms of cocaine on a flight from Guyana.

Two years ago, Guyana blamed aging sniffer dogs at the airport for incidents where drugs made it out of the country.

U.S. officials say Guyana is a transit point for South American drugs bound for the U.S. and Europe.