Four of the five men who were detained for what has been described as the largest cocaine bust in Guyana’s recent history were charged with trafficking in narcotics, and they made appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on June 13.
The fifth detainee has been hospitalised after collapsing with abdominal pain at the Brickdam Police Station on June 12.
Randolph Singh
Venezuelan Luis Alberto Garcia, along with Guyanese Deonarine Singh, 41, of Friendship, East Bank Demerara; Randolph Singh, 32, and Clyn Collier, 34, of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, were all remanded to prison by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
The men pleaded not guilty to the charge, which stated that on June 9 at Batavia, Cuyuni River, in the Essequibo magisterial district, they trafficked 149kg 638g of cocaine.
Deonarine Singh, Randolph Singh and Clyn Collier were represented by attorney Vic Puran, while Luis Alberto Garcia was represented by attorney Glen Hanoman.
Luis Alberto Garcia
Police prosecutor Vishnu Hunte told the court that, on June 9, the police acted on information and went to Batavia Island, located some 24km from Bartica, where they saw a boat moored, and five men were observed at the landing.
Police conducted a search on the persons but did not find anything. Further searches were conducted on the boat, where the cocaine was discovered concealed in four plastic containers, along with clothes and personal document belonging to the defendants.
Based on investigations and advice from the director of public prosecutions, the charge was jointly instituted.
Hunte objected to bail under Section 94 of the Trafficking in Narcotics Act, which states that bail should be granted to persons charged for trafficking in narcotics only if special circumstances are presented to the court.
Deonarine Singh
In a bail application, attorney Hanoman told the court that his client was not in possession of the illegal substance when it was discovered. He said that his client has no knowledge of the cocaine and, as such, those circumstances can be categorised as a ‘special reason’ for bail to be granted.
Hanoman related that it is imperative for his client to clear his name of the accusation lodged against him. He said that if his client were to be granted bail, he would return to court to vigorously defend himself.
Hanoman further argued that the location where the cocaine was found did not have a ‘landing’, as was claimed by the police.
Also making an application for bail for his clients, Puran aggressively argued that the police have no evidence against his clients.
He complimented the police for presenting to the court the core facts of the case, which he claimed will assist the defence in the long run.
Clyn Collier
He pointed out that the police, in their submission, had disclosed that the cocaine was found in the boat, and there is no evidence that his clients acted in concert with anyone to traffic cocaine. He pointed to the fact that his clients’ belongings were in the boat, but that does not necessarily mean they were connected to the drugs. He emphasised that his clients were all passengers in the boat.
He said that the captain of the boat stopped at Batavia to collect something to eat, while his clients were forced to wait in the boat.
The lawyer contended that his clients were heading to Bartica in search of employment.
Puran argued that before the court makes a decision to remand his clients, reasonable evidence must be put forward by the prosecution, which they have not successfully done thus far. The lawyer also pointed out that before a charge could be instituted, enough evidence must be in the prosecutor’s possession, which again the police have failed to produce to the court and the defence attorneys.
In responding to the lawyer’s submission, prosecutor Hunte pointed out that the police have received a statement from an eyewitness, who connected the men to the cocaine.
He also told the court that the police have retrieved two mobile phones, which have records that would implicate the men, he added.
In making her ruling, the magistrate informed the parties that based on the police submissions, she would refuse bail to the defendants. The defendants will make another court appearance on June 20, when it is expected that the charge will be read to Terry James, also called David Crème, 20, of Kurtuku, Cuyuni, Essequibo River.
After the drug shipment was busted, it was reported that the police had received several demands for the cocaine to be released with “immediate effect”, or “war” would be declared in the mining community. This was confirmed by members of the police force who were part of the bust.
Reports are that these threats had forced the Police Anti Narcotics Branch to shuttle the cocaine and the suspects to Georgetown late on the evening of the bust, even though it was a very risky operation to shuttle that much cocaine together with apprehended suspects out of that area at that hour of the evening.
