Guyanese singer remanded for arranging two Canadian women to travel with a quantity of cocaine pellets in their stomach!!!
Aaron of East Ruimveldt Housing Scheme, along with Britney Chan, one of the Canadian women, were charged separately last week with trafficking in narcotics and were both remanded to prison when they appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. They both had pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Chan’s matter was transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for today.
Aaron allegedly had 1 kilo 28 grammes of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking at Georgetown on June 23, while Chan later that day was allegedly found with the same quantity of cocaine in her possession at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri.
Attorney-at-law Glenn Hanoman appeared for Aaron in association with attorney-at-law Adrian Thompson. He said that his client was told that agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) were looking for him so he voluntarily turned himself in.
He noted that the case against his client did not stand alone but was linked to the two Canadian women who had reportedly swallowed several cocaine pellets.
Hanoman said that his client was the taxi driver in the case. He said that from information gathered, when the women were caught members of CANU had to strike a deal with them to reveal the names of all the persons who they had come into contact with while they were in Guyana.
He noted that this was how his client was implicated since the “desperate girls” under pressure told the agents about him. The lawyer stated that the narcotics were never found on his client and his client was before the court because of a “say so of one of the two desperate young girls”. “Anyone that is willing to swallow cocaine is desperate,” added Hanoman.
He explained that his client had a male friend who resided in Canada and had called him to make arrangements to pick him up and his girlfriend at the CJIA since they were supposed to be traveling to Guyana. He said that the friend had even promised to send some money to facilitate this.
He went on to say that his client never received any money and the male friend never came but the two women turned up instead.
Hanoman said further that because of his client’s “goodness”, he took the two women to his home to stay but “cockroaches attacked the young girls at nights” so he was forced to take them to a cheap hotel.
He further posited that if his client was really guilty of the offence he would not have taken the women to his home.
The defence attorney then applied for bail.
However, CANU Prosecutor Oswald Massiah objected to the bail application on the grounds that this matter was associated with the Canadian women’s drug bust.
He said that the prosecution “will give evidence to show that the girls came to Guyana specifically on arrangements involving the defendant.”
He noted that his evidence indicated that Aaron was the “main player” involved in the matter and the “local architect” of the whole arrangement.
Massiah further noted that as it relates to Aaron’s alleged “kindness and innocence” in the matter, he would prove otherwise.
Hanoman then applied for a speedy trial to “ventilate the issue.”
The magistrate subsequently ordered that Aaron be remanded to prison and that he appear back in court on August 24.
According to reports, Chan and the other Canadian woman were
outgoing passengers on a Canada-bound Caribbean Airlines flight at the time of the drug bust. They were subsequently arrested and taken into CANU’s custody where they reportedly confessed to swallowing “cocaine pellets”.
Approximately 70 pellets containing the illegal substance was reportedly excreted from the women when they were taken to a city hospital sometime after.
They were the latest drug couriers in a parade of them recently which law enforcement sources say suggests a desperate cash crunch in some rings abroad. Sources also suggest that with the depressed circumstances up north more and more willing recruits are available for narcotics runs. Sources say that the stashing of the cocaine yesterday in nine suitcases was indicative of a determined effort to avoid the detection of the cocaine by spreading it around.
Sources however said that law enforcement authorities at the airport were tipped off about the couriers and were waiting for them. The cocaine was found in false compartments in the suitcases and the quartet was taken into custody.
The two males and two females, who were outgoing passengers on a flight at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri are currently in police custody and charges will be laid shortly, police said.
The steady stream of drug couriers, sources say, points in the direction of a readily available supply of the drug on the local market and the likelihood that for every courier held, others are getting through.
Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson and Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton have sentenced, remanded and granted bail to several persons recently who were charged with trafficking in narcotics. (See other story on page three.) United States-based Guyanese, Americans and citizens from the Caribbean Community (CARICOM) have appeared before the courts for trafficking in cocaine and heroin at CJIA. Inserting packed condoms in body parts, swallowing pellets, concealing in luggage, books and boxes are among the many methods used in attempt to traffic these narcotic substances.
American Ajar Bourne admitted to trafficking 1kg 22g of heroin when she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court on May 8. Four days earlier she was discovered at CJIA with two condoms, packed with the heroin. Concern has been expressed over the discovery of heroin as this is not a drug manufactured here.
Sources say that this drug would most likely have been smuggled across the borders indicating the breadth of the narcotics network.
On the same day 19-year-old American Diamond R Boulware was remanded after being charged with trafficking in 1 kilogramme, 22 grammes of cocaine. Another American woman, Christina Nicola Williams was charged on May 4th with trafficking in narcotics and remanded to prison when she appeared before Magistrate Octive-Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Michelle Booker allegedly had over 1.9 kgs of cocaine in her possession for the purpose of trafficking on April 25 at the CJIA and was charged four days later. On the same day Matthew Busgith, alleged to have had 2g of cocaine in his possession at the airport on April 26, was remanded to prison.
A Surinamese drug mule was sentenced to four years imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine on April 8. The 22-year-old father of four, Joel Ofwintu admitted to having 795 g of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking at CJIA April 5. Jamaican national Richard Rudolph Gayle, of 114 Headley Park, Kingston who admitted swallowing over 100 pellets of cocaine was also sentenced to four years imprisonment on March 8.
Yvonne Caesar, a 59-year-old US-based Guyanese, was remanded to prison on January 29. It was alleged that on January 25 at CJIA Caesar, of 14 Bee Hive and 30 Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara, had in her possession 245g of cocaine.
A Jamaican national was yesterday sentenced to four years imprisonment and a $2M fine for narcotics trafficking by Magistrate Hazel-Octive Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court. Keisha Ann-Maria Piggott, 25, pleaded guilty to the charge, which stated that on May 11 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri she had in her possession 2.272 kilos of cocaine, for the purpose of trafficking.
The police prosecutor, in giving the facts of the case, explained to the court that Piggott was an outgoing passenger on Caribbean Airlines flight 1416 to Trinidad and the cocaine was found as her suitcase was being scanned. He added that the suitcase was searched in the presence of Piggott and the narcotic was found concealed in a false bottom. The prosecutor further stated that she was subsequently arrested, told of the offence committed and charged.
