-CANU agents, cop, Roraima employee before court
Two months after a pink suitcase with over 50 pounds of cocaine slipped through the Timehri airport, four persons yesterday appeared in court on conspiracy charges but were released on bail after lawyers made certain revelations.
- Maurice Smith
Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) employees, Mouniram Persaud of 183 3rd Street, Foulis, East Coast Demerara and Shemika Tennant of 141 North Sophia along with Roderick Peterkin, a Roraima Airways security officer of Lot 183 Hyde Park, Timehri and policeman Maurice Smith of Hill Foot, Linden/Soesdyke Highway pleaded not guilty to conspiracy to traffic in narcotics. After submissions by their lawyers Nigel Hughes and Vic Puran, they were released on $35, 000 bail each by Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton.
During the proceedings which lasted about 20 minutes, the quartet, all neatly dressed, stood expressionless near the dock and only spoke when the magistrate asked for their pleas. When the case was called several relatives flocked the court room.
The joint charge alleges that on January 12, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, they conspired with each other and Dorothy Sears and with other persons unknown to export 24 kilograms 600 g of cocaine.
Sears was subsequently busted with marijuana in her brassiere and a pink suitcase containing the cocaine at the JFK airport in New York. It was during a customs examination of Sears’ carry-on luggage that she was reportedly observed acting “nervous, sweating profusely and avoiding eye contact.” She was asked if she had any checked luggage and responded in the negative.
The woman told US authorities that she was to be paid US$6,000 for checking in the suitcase by an individual in Guyana. She said she thought initially the suitcase had marijuana but when she received it, she believed it contained cocaine because of its weight and the amount of money she was to receive.
- Mouniram Persaud
Local police subsequently launched an investigation and earlier this month, Home Affairs
Minister Clement Rohee informed this newspaper that a CANU supervisor was caught on camera instructing that a suitcase bypass routine security checks
Rohee added that the man who had been working at the airport for 13 years was interdicted from duty.
Puran represented Persaud and Peterkin while Hughes represented the other two. First to address the court was Puran who said that Parliament in passing the legislation made this particular offence bailable. He added that neither of his clients are flight risks since if they wanted to flee the country they would have done so already. Puran submitted that Persaud was told that he would be charged today (yesterday) and later sent away. The lawyer told the court that his client went back to the police station the following day knowing fully well that he would be appearing in court, stressing that the man came to court on his own.
Now speaking on Peterkin’s behalf, Puran said that he was not granted the same treatment like Persaud but was rather kept in police custody adding that he could not envision why this was done.
The lawyer said that his client gave the police two statements in a bid to clear his name, one at Eve Leary and another at the airport where he was employed. He added that his client was never placed on any monetary bail. Referring back to Persaud, he told the court that this client was required to report to the police approximately three times per week since the matter first broke two months ago. Puran stated that there is no issue of witness tampering or issue of flight and there was no basis for the prosecution denying bail.
“The defendants have nothing to be fearful of and there is nothing to flee from. The police has chosen the most difficult formulation of charges in this matter”, the lawyer said.
- Roderick Peterkin
The magistrate at this point in the case enquired about Sears and Puran indicated to her that the woman is presently a guest of the US.
Meanwhile Hughes in his submissions said that he believes that his clients are “victims of the highest level of the perversion of the course of justice”.
Up until Monday he said, they were still serving members of CANU and the Guyana Police Force respectively.
Intercepted
He said that on January 12, Sears was an outgoing passenger on a Delta Airlines flight when Tennant was working at the scanner where she observed a pink suitcase. The lawyer said that his client intercepted it and said she wanted to check it but was instructed by her superior to put it back.
Hughes said that the supervisor later told her that he was responsible for her and he had given
her a direct order to put the suitcase back because the owner was a member of his family and there was money inside.
Tennant he added made a record that she had intercepted the suitcase and was instructed by her supervisor to put it back. The lawyer told the court that the police are in possession of this information in a statement she gave them the day after Sears was held in the United States.
Hughes said that there was a confrontation between his client and the supervisor where he admitted that he had given her the instruction to put the suitcase back on the scanner.
“There is no suggestion by way of witness that she is in any way involved in the commission of this crime”, he added before submitting that his other client who is a dog handler had nothing to do with the suitcase since he hadn’t even touched it.
On February 2, Hughes said that two female members of a particular faith were leaving the country and after becoming suspicious Tennant told them that she wanted to conduct a search.
The lawyer said that the women told his client that they were the relatives of a member of law enforcement. Tennant he said told them to produce proof and when they failed to do she searched their person and their luggage but found nothing.
Immediately after, Hughes said that his client was reprimanded by her boss who told her that the women were relatives of a law enforcement officer and therefore should not have been searched.
She later received a letter from the supervisor and a copy of it was handed over to the court shortly after its contents were read. The names printed were not mentioned in Hughes’ submissions.
The letter was dated February 2 and signed by M Persaud, senior supervisor. It stated that the two women (name printed) who were travelling to JFK were related to a certain person (designation printed) which was made known. “Although this was made known to you, you still went ahead to searched their checked luggage… In future when matter of this nature comes up, you are to report it to me directly before searches are carried out and I will instruct what course of action should be taken”, the letter stated.
“…All I am asking is that you use your initiative in conducting your duties”, it added.
Hughes stated that a file on the matter was sent to the DPP and no charges were recommended but later it was redirected to her and she instructed the police to charge.
“I am distressed about the high handedness of this matter. This is a 22-year-old single woman. From the moment this is published their careers are ruined”, he stated.
The dog handler, he said depends on the animal and sometime last year he conducted a search on a relative of a member of law enforcement. No name was mentioned in court yesterday.
He said that on November 9, Smith gave a statement explaining why his dog sniffed a suitcase adding that the man has given 14 years of his life to the Force only to now be charged with conspiracy.
Police prosecutor Joel Ricknauth told the court that the applications made by the lawyers were credible and did not object to bail being granted.
At the end of the matter the magistrate transferred it to the Providence court but both lawyers objected to this saying that the present court was a strong court and being aware that it was burdened were prepared to wait on the next available date.
The magistrate granted the lawyers’ request and will hear the matter on June 29 when it is called again.
