Attorney Darren Wade, who is defending ex-policeman Shaun Darcy Nebblett in ongoing extradition proceedings, yesterday told a city court that he wanted Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan to be called as a witness to explain what he dubbed a seeming willingness to send “Black people” to the United States to suffer unnecessarily.
Nebblett is wanted in the United States for conspiracy to import cocaine, importation of cocaine, conspiracy to possess cocaine with intent to distribute and possession of cocaine with intent to distribute.
During yesterday’s court proceedings before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty in Georgetown, Wade stated that it is his hope that the prosecution will be calling someone from the United States to testify or Minister Ramjattan himself.
The attorney said he wanted the minister to be placed into the witness box so that he can ask him, “Why is he prepared to send Black people to the states to suffer unnecessarily?”
Wade, in a passionate application for bail, noted that he knew Nebblett since attending the University of Guyana. He further argued that his client ought to be granted bail since the proceedings were related not to a murder but to a bailable offence. He also claimed that no wanted bulletin was ever issued for his client.
Wade’s comments came prior to attorney Stacy Goodings, who is representing the interest of the United States, raising an objection to his bail application.
Attorney Goodings had moments before presented to the court the extradition package and stated that they were prepared to commence the hearing.
She argued that Nebblett, contrary to the views of his attorney, does not understand his responsibility to the police, much less the court. She noted that after the commission of the crime, the defendant’s passport showed that he went from Guyana to Suriname to Barbados.
Goodings added that Nebblett contacted the police and stated that he was aware that he was blacklisted and still attempted to flee the jurisdiction the very day he was to show up at the police station.
Bail was denied and the matter was then adjourned until June 19th, when the extradition proceedings will commence.
According to the indictment, which was seen by Stabroek News, between August 2015 and September 2015, in the Eastern District of New York, Nebblett conspired to smuggle cocaine into the US from Guyana. In August 2015, he is accused of arranging for a courier in Guyana to smuggle cocaine into the US in exchange for US$8,000.
Nebblett, it is alleged, met with the courier in Guyana and packed the courier’s luggage with seven pairs of shoes that were filled with cocaine. Nebblett then is alleged to have given the courier US$300 so that the courier could rent a hotel room near the John F. Kennedy (JFK) Airport.
On August 28th, 2015 the courier flew to the JFK Airport with the luggage but was later arrested with 1.45 kilos of cocaine. On August 29th, 2015, the courier allegedly spoke with Nebblett from a hotel room regarding pickup of the cocaine and he sent a second individual, who was arrested with US$8,000 in bundled currency.
On June 10th, 2016, an arrest warrant was filed for the accused.
A woman, Aliscia Simon, was charged in March, 2017, with harbouring Nebblett. The charge alleged that Simon, between February 2nd and February 8th, at Community Lane, South Ruimveldt Park, harboured Nebblett, whose name and photo were published by the police in connection with trafficking narcotics. Magistrate Dylon Bess, on April 27th, 2017, dismissed the charges against her, citing insufficient evidence.
On February 2nd, 2017 the police issued a wanted bulletin for Nebblett.
Following the recent extradition of fugitive Troy Thomas, who was wanted for murder in the US, it was noted that there are close to two dozen pending extradition cases between the United States and Guyana.
