High Court denies bail for accused drug trafficker

Sep 11, 2022 News

Kaieteur News – The High Court has denied bail to accused drug trafficker, Michael Andrew Morgan.

Michael Andrew Morgan

Morgan was arrested in June last after a search was conducted at his of Lot 142 Ixora Avenue, Eccles, East Bank Demerara home and a quantity of cocaine and a firearm with ammunition were unearthed. He was subsequently remanded to prison.

Having considered the application for bail with affidavit in support and having heard counsel for the applicant, Glenn Hanoman, Justice Gino Persaud found that no special reasons existed for the granting of bail.

Mr. Hanoman in his oral arguments advanced that the application for bail in the High Court is based on “unreasonable delay” and that the prosecution had sought an adjournment on the ground that the analyst report was not yet completed.

Mr. Hanoman has also advanced that the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit (CANU) has evidential problems including establishing a nexus but the judge found that these evidential issues were not relevant factors to be taken into consideration for the granting of bail.

The prosecutor argued that no special reasons were advanced or shown that warrants the ground of bail. The attorney also argued that the matters raised by Hanoman are contentious issues of fact suitable for trial and not a bail hearing.

The lawyer also contended that there has been no delay but an argument of presumed delay in the future, arguments which Justice Persaud agreed with.

In his ruling, Justice Persaud said, “It is premature at this stage to argue unreasonable delay. I do not find that there is any unreasonable delay. In the circumstances, the application to the high court for the grant of reasonable bail to Michael Andrew Morgan is hereby refused.”

As a result, the accused, who was charged on June 29, 2022, will be remain incarcerated until the next court date, September 27, 2022.

Acting on intelligence, CANU officers had conducted a narcotics operation at Morgan’s property. A search was conducted in the presence of the lone occupant, Morgan, and it resulted in the discovery of a quantity of cocaine, 27 nine mm rounds, one .32 Taurus firearm, along with one magazine, and 25 matching .32 rounds.

As such, Morgan was arrested and escorted to the CANU headquarters along with the firearm, ammunition, and narcotics. CANU reported that the narcotics were tested and confirmed to be cocaine with a total weight of 3.27 kg and a street value of approximately $3.5million.

Head of CANU, James Singh noted that the firearm and ammunition charge will be filed by the police and not CANU.

Notably, Morgan is the brother of Peter Morgan, who was deported back to Guyana in 2015 after completing a 10-year sentence in the United States of America for drug trafficking.