Contractor Leonard Bacchus leaving the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on Monday
Leonard and Indranie Bacchus and their 15-year-old son were remanded to prison by Magistrate Sherdell Isaacs-Marcus when they appeared in that Vigilance Magistrate’s Court on Monday, August 22 in connection with last week’s huge cocaine bust at Enmore, East Coast Demerara. They were arraigned on one count of unlawful possession of a firearm and ammunition, and one count of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
They all pleaded not guilty to the charges, which stated that, on August 16 at Enmore, they had in their possession 125 rounds of 12-gauge cartridge and 152 rounds of .32 ammunition without being the holders of firearm and ammunition licences.
Police said that the trio had 67.296 kg of cocaine in their possession, which the force’s Anti-Narcotics Unit discovered after searching the Bacchus home at Block 20, Enmore, East Coast Demerara on Tuesday, August 16 at 15:00hours. Following that discovery, Bacchus, his wife and two children were taken into custody, but his daughter was later released.
The Bacchuses were represented by Attorney Vic Puran.
During the court proceedings, Puran requested that the prosecution disclose the facts of the case, but the prosecution, led by Inspector Robert Clement, related that presenting those facts is not mandatory at this point in time.
Puran then contended he was sure that there is not enough evidence for a conviction, arguing that his clients’ appearance in court does not necessarily mean that they were taken there lawfully. He described the action by the police as “wrong in law”, despite them seeking legal advice from the Director of Public Prosecutions. He questioned the grounds for his clients being remanded (if it were to be done) since the prosecution did not disclose the facts of the case.
No reason for bail
Puran told the court that Leonard Bacchus gave oral and written statements to the investigators, while his son has not made a confession. He said the only evidence police have is the 140 cocaine-filled false- bottomed kunds that were found on the premises of the Bacchus home. Puran claimed that the investigating rank has, however, given a sworn statement before the chief justice, claiming that he saw the three accused putting the cocaine into the kunds – metal instruments used by Hindus during religious ceremonies.
“There are now two different versions: one given under oath, and the other. Which one will the prosecution use?” Puran questioned.
In response to the defence’s arguments, Prosecutor Clement countered that the defence has not submitted any reason why his clients should be granted bail.
He went on to say that the three accused persons were charged under Section 5A1 of the Narcotics Act, which clearly states that special reasons for the granting of bail must be provided to the court, and the defence has failed to so do. He contended that bail should therefore not be granted to the accused.
With respect to the possession of ammunition charge, the prosecutor said that the burden is also on the defence to put forward arguments as to why his clients should be granted bail. This, again, he noted, the defence has failed to do.
Clement made an application for the accused to be remanded to prison, and requested that the case be transferred to the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court for an early trial.
The magistrate subsequently set August 29 as the date for the matter to be continued at the Cove and John Magistrate’s Court.
It has been reported that members of the Criminal Investigations Department of the Guyana Police Force had been observing the businessman for a while, since he had been involved in various drug-related activities.
Bacchus, a contractor by profession, is reportedly the nephew of murdered ‘death squad’ informant George Bacchus. He has denied his involvement in drug-related activities from the start.
