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Cousins remanded for cocaine at CJIA
Two men who reside at Ice House Road, Timehri, were yesterday remanded to jail
Mark and Ray Pollard
by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine- Beharry for reportedly attempting to place 4.512 kilograms of cocaine on an EZjet flight destined for New York.
Nineteen-year-old Mark Pollard and his cousin, 21-year-old Ray Pollard, were not required to plead to the charge of narcotics possession for trafficking. They were arrested at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) after Customs Anti- Narcotics ranks (CANU) reportedly intercepted them with drugs.
Defense Lawyer Mark Waldron, who is representing the two men, informed the court that the Pollards are employed at the Timehri Handling Services, a company that provides ground support for inbound and outgoing flights.
Waldron said that Ray Pollard was attached to Liat flight and the other to EZjet. He told the court that based on his information, a bag containing the drugs was found early Thursday morning in the baggage bay of EZjet. He alleged that none of the defendants was seen with the drugs and neither did they admit to having the narcotics.
Further, Waldron argued that five persons were initially arrested on the allegation and were being held in police custody. The lawyer continued to argue that the police had not made connections between the men and the drugs and that boiled down to them having special reasons as to why they should be permitted bail.
Waldron also claimed that by CANU’s actions, five persons were suspected to be affiliated with the drugs which meant that they were acting on suspicions. Waldron argued that it was unclear why his clients alone were brought to court. He then said that security guards at check points where the men had passed and all other relevant persons should have been arrested.
The prosecutor’s facts however differed greatly from the lawyer’s. The police alleged that on the day in question, April 27, one of the defendants was seen by a CANU rank going through the arrival section of the airport wearing a black jacket that seemed a bit bulky.
Being suspicious of the man, the drug rank reportedly kept an eye on the defendant.
The prosecutor then alleged that the drug rank saw the defendant take off the said black jacket and a black haversack was underneath; the man reportedly had the bag on his back. It was further revealed that the defendant took off the haversack and handed it to the other defendant.
That is when the CANU rank reportedly intervened telling the two persons what he suspected. A search was conducted and in the bag four parcels were reportedly found. It was allegedly checked in the men’s presence and the suspected cocaine was seen.
Waldron however argued that the police’s story was inconsistent and incoherent. He put forward that if the drug ranks had caught the men red handed why then was there the need to arrest other persons.
The facts did not mention that others had been arrested with the two accused and that prompted Waldron to challenge a CANU official to swear under oath whether other persons were detained. He even put on the line his bail application which he said he would revoke if the officer was ready to say that other persons were not arrested.
This was not required as the said rank then informed the prosecutor that others were indeed arrested.
The Pollards were not granted bail. The court did not see Waldron’s arguments as a basis for special reasons. The men were remanded until Monday when they will appear at the Providence Magistrate’s Court.
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