Tuesday December 11, 2012
Kaieteur News
Page 15
Duo remanded for cocaine Female soldier alleges rape in army, wants matter investigated in drinking straws - Says there’s a covered up plot Two persons are facing drug related charges in connection with the December 6, drug bust at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA). Both men, O’Brien White and Adrian David, appeared before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry on an allegation that they attempted to traffic in more than 21 kilos of cocaine secreted in drinking straws which were painted in the colour of macaroni noodles. The duo entered a plea of not guilty as their Attorney Peter Hugh made an application for bail. They were remanded and are scheduled to face the court again on December 14. Five persons were initially held after the detection of the drug was made at the airport, among them were the two accused. The narcotics were found between a quantity of drinking straws disguised to be macaroni noodles scheduled for a Canadabound shipment. This publication was told the
O’Brien White Adrian David discovery was made by agents from the Police AntiNarcotics Unit as they carried out a routine inspection at a cargo bond at CJIA. Reports are that among the items checked during the examination were 68 boxes of mangoes and several boxes containing packets of macaroni noodles. The ranks became suspicious of the weight of the noodles and decided to carry out a thorough
investigation. Upon emptying the packets, it was discovered that among the contents were a number of drinking straws sprayed in the colour of noodles and packed with a white powdery substance. This was subsequently tested and confirmed to be cocaine – a total of 21 kilogrammes. The mailing address listed as 44 Mount Crescent, Ajax, Ontario, Canada, and the sender – O’Brien White of 12 Plantation Walk, West Bank Demerara.
$80 million housing scam trial postponed … prosecution witnesses a no show The case against Ballkarran Lillie and Danica Griffith, the two persons charged with the $80 million house lot scam has been further deferred to January of next year. Wo r d r e a c h i n g t h i s newspaper is that the case was postponed given that the file is still with the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP). Further, the witnesses in the matter are yet to come forward. Griffith, a 19-year-old clothes vendor from Campbellville; and Lillie, 25, of Lot 26 North East Grove, East Bank Demerara are both facing several fraud related charges stemming from a multimillion-dollar house lots racket. The matter was initially fixed for trial on November 19 but was put off until Novembe r 3 0 w h e n t h e prosecution stated that they were still not in possession of the file and requested a new date for the commencement of trial. As such, the matter which is being heard by Magistrate Leron Dailey was fixed for January 7, 2013. Meanwhile, police are at standstill as it relates to the
arrest of the alleged mastermind of the crime. Police have since issued a wanted bulletin for the main suspect who has been identified as Prem Persaud called Prem Rampersaud. Recent reports suggest that the ringleader of the crime may have fled the jurisdiction. Housing Ministry officials informed Kaieteur News that the Ministry had received what appeared to be credible news that the suspect at large “slipped out of the country using a brother’s passport.” The sibling reportedly lives in Canada and is said to have a striking resemblance to the suspect. The two accused made their initial court appearance before Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry and were slapped with three charges of obtaining money by false pretense. According to the charges, the duo acquired an amount totaling over $1 million fro m Bhena Stanislaus, Latchmie Manbodh, and Ramkumar Rajban as down payment for bogus house lots purporting to show that they were genuinely issued by the Central Housing and
Planning Authority. At this time, police noted that 18 additional charges of the same nature were likely to be instituted against the accused. To date no additional charges have been tallied against them. Both Griffith and Lillie were remanded to prison after their first appearance. They were subsequently released on $1.7 million bail each after their attorneys, Rexford Jackson and Paul Fung –A- Fat, made renewed applications for bail. Before the defendants were permitted to answer to the charges defense counsel Rexford Jackson held that the case against his client (Griffith) is one of a mistaken identity. Earlier this year, Housing Ministry Authorities uncovered the massive house lot fraud after complaints started to pour in at the Ministry where applica n t s reported difficulties in obtaining their house lots. Investigations led to the arrest of two accused who were later placed on an identification parade and pointed out to authorities. They were subsequently charged.
A female soldier is claiming that she was raped by her Captain while being a part of a military police training course at an interior location. She says that the issue is being covered up by the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) and not being addressed accordingly by the Police. The rape was reported to the Brickdam Police Station twice, and to the upper echelon of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). The traumatized 22-yearold said that the issue was made a joke in the army. Persons blistered her and made fun of the allegation which occurred in November 2011. Thus, the victim requested a transfer to the Coast Guard. Indentifying the perpetrator by name, the young lady said that on the first occasion of rape, she blamed herself because the ordeal happened when she was under the influence of alcohol and was not aware of what really transpired until the following day. She continued: “He (the captain) say we will go and take a drink with them boy, and we went at a bar at the airport in Timehri. I got drunk! I could have only remembered things in between. I then was placed in his jeep to relax.” She explained, “He then asked me if I wanted to wash
my face and he carried me into the officers’ accommodations. He then tell me I could spend the night and I would go home in the morning, I didn’t see anything wrong with it since it is somebody I trust and he is my senior.” After waking up in the Captain’s quarters, she said the officer was asking her questions about if she was willing to have a relationship with an officer. “He then began pushing himself on me and I pushed him off, and then he force me to have sex. He was stronger than me! After he was finished he then locked me in his room and c o m e b ack for me and dropped me off at Timehri bus shed…He even told me if I tell anybody nobody will believe.” She said that she never disclosed the event to any relative since she was having issues with her family, something she confided in the said officer when she first joined the GDF in 2010. The young lady said she then confided in her boyfriend who is also in the Army but begged him bitterly not to tell anyone. She said that the officer called her two days later apologizing and requesting a relationship, an offer she
refused. “I put the entire ordeal behind me and said I would treat him like a friend. That was also another mistake, since he carried me again and got me drunk in the city and he carried me to the seawall last May and then he drove to Camp Ayanganna. Right away I wanted to run away but people would have noticed and I would have looked even more embarrassed; he forced me into his barrack and it happened again.” she lamented. The depressed young lady said that she then severed all communications with the Captain and reported the matter to the Chief of Staff and was later assigned a counselor. A few months later she reported the matter to the Brickdam Police Station after she realized the issue was being covered up in the army. “No police and Army official contacted me and it looks like they are ducking the story…This man working and watching me and laughing and behaving like if everything normal.” The Chief of Staff was not in the country, his deputy was also not in office so there could have been no official reaction to queries on the matter.
Kitty man remanded for cocaine in fish food
Gilbert Andre Bristol, 36, of 54 Garnett Street, Newtown, was yesterday refused bail for allegedly attempting to export 233 kilograms of cocaine found in a quantity of fish food. Bristol pleaded not guilty to the charge which read that on Friday December 7 at the Guyana National Shipping Corporation (GNSC) Wharf, he attempted to traffic in 233 kilograms of cocaine. He was represented by Attorney at Law Latchmie Rahamat who asked that her client be sent on bail since he suffers from a medical condition that requires special treatment that may not be available at the Georgetown Prisons. Rahamat contended that her client has no previous convictions or pending matters. She said that Bristol, a father of two minor children is into construction as well as the import/export business. However, Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Oswald Massiah argued that whatever the defendant’s illness may be,
Remanded Gilbert Bristol the Prison Authority is well geared to handle it. The Prosecutor also noted that no documentation was given to the court to support the lawyer’s statement. Massiah then opposed the bail application. Providing the facts of the
case to the court, Massiah said that the accused who holds a licence to import and export goods, made arrangements to ship fish feed to Hong Kong, China. The product was bought from an East Coast of Demerara Enterprise and on December 7, while in the process of shipping the 1500 bags of fish food, the scanner used by Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) workers detected something unusual. CANU ranks were summoned and further checks revealed that at least eight bags contained the illegal substance. The bags, Massiah said, were checked, weighed and tested in the presence of the defendant who was later charged for the offence. A statement released from the Guyana Revenue Authority’s (GRA) earlier last week, revealed that the quantity of cocaine pellets is worth approximately $2 billion. The drug was hidden between 1500 bags of fish food destined for Angel International Logistic Limited, Hong Kong, China.