A 59-year-old US-based Guyanese was yesterday remanded to prison when she appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson to answer the charge of trafficking in narcotics.
Yvonne Caesar of 14 Bee Hive and 30 Nabaclis, East Coast Demerara pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to her.
It was alleged that on January 25 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, Caesar had in her possession 245 grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
According to her lawyer Glenn Hanoman, “My client is innocent of the trafficking charge for which she stands accused while the real culprit is free.” He told the court, “My worship, Ms. Caesar was called by an elder of her church from the United States who asked her to collect from an individual here in Guyana a photo album and a book to take up to the US for him.” He said further, “When my client arrived at the airport and was being checked, the illegal substance was found concealed in the photo album.”
Emphasising his client’s innocence and cooperation with the police at the airport, Hanoman stated that, “Caesar also told authorities to check the book which she had also collected for her elder,” noting that the hand luggage in which the book was placed had already been checked out.
The attorney made an application for bail to be granted stating that his client had fallen in the category of special circumstances. He listed the circumstances in light of her ill health, age and the fact that she has cooperated with the police in whose custody she had been for in excess of 100 hours.
Hanoman said, “She’s an acute diabetic who has been taking insulin for the past three years and also suffers from liver problems and high cholesterol, among other illnesses and to keep her in prison would be bad for her health conditions, my Worship.”
Hanoman also told the court that, “Yesterday morning the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the US had contacted me in a bid to find out who was the elder that had called her so that an arrest can be made.”
Police Prosecutor Sherwin Matthews argued that the points listed by Hanoman did not satisfy special circumstances according to Act.
Bail was refused and her case was transferred to the Providence Magistrate’s Court for February 2. Caesar was moved to tears upon hearing that she would not be granted bail.
Meanwhile, Rawle Drepaul who was wanted in connection with the investigation was found in a Mahaica house yesterday, sources say.
According to the information reaching Stabroek News, the police were tipped off that the man, for whom they had issued a wanted bulletin, was hiding out in a house at Mahaica.
