Dhanshand Balram, the exporter who was charged last year with trying to ship almost 90 pounds of cocaine in buckets of cassareep, green seasoning and Chinese sauce through the Cheddi Jagan Airport (CJIA), was yesterday found guilty and sentenced to four years in jail.
Balram, who was charged with having 40.405 kilogrammes of cocaine (equivalent to 89.0778 pounds) in his possession on March 19, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, was also fined $109,093,500, by Magistrate Judy Latchman. At the conclusion of the trial yesterday, Balram’s attorney maintained his client’s innocence.
However, in her ruling, Magistrate Latchman stated that she believed, from the evidence presented by the prosecution and the testimonies of its witnesses, Balram had physical control of the cocaine and collected the buckets it was in knowing that they contained the
