Cocaine accused says she was given box to post to Canada

A woman who allegedly tried to post a box containing cocaine to Canada at the Guyana Post Office Corpora-tion in Georgetown was yesterday refused bail by Acting Chief Magistrate Cecil Sullivan.

Maxine Brandt, 40, of 2879 North Ruimveldt pleaded not guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

It is alleged that on Monday, officers from CANU acting on information received went to the GPOC and met Brandt who was trying to post a box to Toronto, Canada. The officers searched the box and it contained salted fish, fish seasoning, hair, cocoa butter cream and plantain flour along with the drugs. When weighed it amounted to 91 grammes of cocaine. Brandt claimed it was given to her by a friend of her boyfriend to mail. Officers were unable to find the friend who Brandt spoke of and she was arrested and charged.

Attorney-at-law Mohamed Zafar who represented Brandt told the court that his client was given the box by a friend of her reputed husband. He stated that she told the police the name of the gentleman who gave the box to her but they still charged her for the offence. He added that it was her husband who was to post the box for his friend as a favour. However he could not because he did not have an identification card (ID) and Brandt did.

Her case was transferred to Court Three for March 6.