Desperate single mothers risk lives, freedom to smuggle cocaine

Jul 16, 2018 News

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While more single mothers are finding creative ways to smuggle cocaine past the watchful eyes of Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) and police ranks who are stationed at the Cheddi Jagan and Eugene F. Correira International Airports, they are being caught and prosecuted.
Some of the techniques include swallowing, inserting in the privates and in some cases attempting to post it in hammocks and in handbags.
A couple even tried attempting to smuggle the drug through the VIP lounge at the airport. For the swallowers, they would be taken to the hospital where x-rays would confirm that they are strange objects in their bodies and pelvic area, for those who insert the drug in them.
While most cocaine traffickers plead guilty on their first court appearances, some deny narcotics trafficking charges brought against them.
They would usually be remanded to prison by a Magistrate. However, their lawyers would secure bail for them at the High Court.

In a most recent case, a teenager was sentenced to three years imprisonment and fined $1.4 M, after she was nabbed the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, EBD with a quantity of cocaine.
Nineteen-year-old Anesha Hardy, of 235 South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, appeared to be calm when she made an appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
She admitted to the charge, which read that on July 6, last at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, she had in her possession 702 grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor, Konyo Sandiford, stated that on July 6, last, the teen was an outgoing passenger on BW 526 at CJIA destined to JFK New York.
The teen was intercepted by a female CANU officer who told her that she had information that she had ingested a quantity of cocaine pellets. She was then cautioned and she denied the allegation. She was then arrested and escorted to a City Hospital where an x-ray was conducted.
The examination revealed foreign objects in her stomach and she was then admitted as a patient at the institution.
Between the period July 6 and July 9, last, the teenager excreted 119 cocaine filled pellets weighing 702 grams.
She also gave several oral, written and caution statements outlining her suppliers and how she ingested the cocaine pellets.
The prosecutor told the court that the teenager was taken advantage of by two persons who are seasoned cocaine suppliers.
CANU is now looking for the two individuals who are the main suspects in the investigation.
The men who are wanted for questioning are Kelvien Sauers, also known as John. His last known address was 327 Fourth Street Success, East Coast Demerara and Mark Sauers also known as Marcus of Lot 1 Ogle East Coast Demerara and Second Street Liliendaal, Georgetown.
Just two weeks ago, a single mother of two was nabbed while attempting to smuggle a quantity of cocaine through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, (CJIA) Timehri.
Natasha Blair, 37, was arraigned before a Magistrate and pleaded guilty to trafficking 532 grams of cocaine. In turn, she was sentenced to serve three years in prison.
She had cried throughout her court appearance and admitted to ingesting and inserting a quantity of pellets filled with the drug.
Before being sentencing she stated, “I’m very sorry for what I did and I’m sorry for putting my children and family through this. I did it to provide for my children.”
At the time, she was busted by CANU ranks, Blair was an outgoing passenger destined for JFK, New York, to where she was travelling with her 11-month old baby.
It was reported that when Blair checked in her luggage at Caribbean Airline counter, a CANU rank acting on information, approached her and informed her of his suspicion that she had ingested and inserted narcotics.
Blair was cautioned and taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where an x-ray was conducted on her. It revealed foreign objects in her stomach and pelvic area.
The prosecutor told the court that the woman was admitted at the institution and between July 2 and July 4; she excreted 32 pellets. It was disclosed that the pellets found in the woman’s stomach weighed 322 grams, while the pellets in her pelvic area weighed 210 grams.
Blair while in custody made several oral statements. CANU is now searching for the father of the woman’s child, Sherwin Stoby, also known as ‘Kong’.
Also making an appearance in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court was a desperate mother who took the rap for her teen daughter.
Kavita Persaud, 40, of 55 Annandale, East Coast Demerara appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, one week after her 19-year-old daughter was caught with six pounds of cocaine in her handbag at the CJIA.
Persaud pleaded guilty to the charge, which alleged that on February 14 last, at CJIA, she trafficked 2.660 kilograms of cocaine. When asked by the Magistrate if she had anything to say, the woman said that she is a single mother of three and she was in desperate need for a place to stay.
She claimed that she and her children were homeless.
The woman added, “I am very sorry for what I did. I don’t know what I was thinking. I did it for my children, because I’m poor.”
It was reported that the teen was intercepted at the airport with the drug. It was her mother who had accompanied her there.
The two were then arrested and they gave oral and written statements outlining their knowledge about the cocaine. They also gave the supplier’s name.
The woman had also told ranks that the supplier had made her daughter traffic cocaine to the US a month prior to her arrest.
Singh is presently serving a four year and six month jail term for the offence. She was also ordered to pay a fine of $7.1M.
Also on the list of cocaine smugglers is a 42-year-old Andrea Winfield, of Lot 12 Prince William Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara.
She was sentenced to three years in jail and fined $3.8M after being found guilty by a City Magistrate. On December 16, last, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, she had 2.548 kilograms of cocaine in her possession for trafficking.
The woman, who cried throughout the court proceeding, told the court that she was sorry for what she did. According to information, Winfield was an outgoing passenger at the airport when Customs officers had asked her for the Canadian address she was visiting.
She was unable to provide that information.
The officers then became suspicious and proceeded to check her luggage.
They found the cocaine and she was arrested.
A young mother who attempted to post four hammocks that were soaked in cocaine, to the United States via an international courier service, was not spared jail time by the Chief Magistrate.
Twenty six-year-old Tiffini Collison of F 21 Samaan Street, Guyhoc Park, was found guilty of trafficking 6.742 kilograms of cocaine.
She used her mother’s name to effect the transaction.
According to CANU, the seizure of the hammocks occurred at the Eugene F Correia International Airport, Ogle, East Coast Demerara.
Collison was jailed for four years and fined $18.2M.
In another case, a Soesdyke woman took the rap for her brother and was sentenced to four years imprisonment after she admitted to having 11 pounds of cocaine in her possession.
Nickela Craig Singh, of Lot 237 Meereten Street, Soesdyke, East Bank Demerara, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and pleaded guilty to the charge.
On January 22, last, she trafficked 5.196 kilograms of cocaine.
The woman in her explanation to the court stated, “On the day in question, the ranks asked me if I had drugs and I said yes. I told them a friend gave me the drugs to keep. At the time, I was confused and I started calling my sibling’s name.”
After the woman’s explanation, the Chief Magistrate asked her if she is still confused.
The woman responded, “I am not confused anymore. The cocaine was found in my house so I am taking ownership for it. A friend gave me it to keep.”
Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman last year jailed a woman for 60 months and fined her $ 57 M after she and her spouse were found guilty of attempting to smuggle 21.36 kg of cocaine through the VIP Lounge at the airport.
Robhina Basdeoram and her spouse were convicted for having a total 21.36 kg of cocaine in their possession for the purpose of trafficking on January 30, 2015.
They were jailed for 60 months each. They were also ordered to pay fines of over $20M respectively.
Reports are that the couple was scheduled to depart from CJIA for Toronto, Canada via a Fly Jamaica flight. The discovery of the drug was made at the scanning point.
It was there that a police rank from the Narcotics Branch spotted some ‘bricks’ that were concealed in their luggage.
The cocaine was found in all four pieces of luggage that was being carried by the two. Enveloped parcels containing cocaine were found stitched neatly into two laptop bags.

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