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Former journalist caught with cocaine strapped to body pleads guilty, sentencing deferred
– former CANU officer, GRA officer placed on $750,000 bail each
Kaieteur News – Former journalist, Zanneel Williams, 25, of Lot 181 Lamaha Gardens, Georgetown, who was caught last Friday with a quantity of cocaine strapped to her body and also in her luggage, accepted culpability on Monday when she appeared in court and her sentencing was deferred.
Former journalist, Zanneel Nirmala Williams.
Meanwhile, her allege accomplices, former Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) officer, Anil Sookhoo, 33, of Lot 127 Kuru Kuru, Linden-Soesdyke Highway and Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) officer, Shameka Caesar, 27, of Lot ZZ, D’Urban Street, Wortmanville, Georgetown denied the charge that was read to them and they were both placed on $750,000 bail each.
Former CANU officer, Anil SookhooThe trio appeared in the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Sunil Scarce.
Williams is being represented by attorney-at-law Lloyd Conway, Caesar is being represented by attorney-at-law Nigel Hughes and Sookhoo is being represented by attorney-at-law Adrian Thompson.
Williams pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on Friday, April 22, 2022, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), she had in her possession 9.6 kg of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
The Magistrate deferred Williams’ sentencing to May 30, 2022, and ordered that a psychiatric evaluation be conducted on her and a probation report be prepared.
GRA officer Shameka Caesar
Further, Sookhoo and Caesar, who both denied involvement, were granted bail in the sum of $750,000 each and the matter was adjourned to a later date.
According to police reports, last Friday Williams was an outgoing passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport destined for the United States.
However, the woman was nabbed with a quantity of cocaine in the false sides of her laptop bag. She was then arrested and escorted to CANU’s Headquarters with the narcotics.
A further search of the suspect, which was conducted at the CANU headquarters, revealed a quantity of cocaine strapped to her body.
The substance was then tested and came back positive as cocaine, with a total weight of 9.6 kg – 7.9 kg discovered in her luggage and 1.6 kg strapped to her body. The narcotics had a total street value of G$60 million which is equivalent to US$300,000.
Further investigations led to the arrests of the former CANU officer and the GRA officer.
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