Trio remanded for possession of cocaine

Jul 09, 2024 Court Stories, Features / Columnists, News

Kaieteur News – The three men who were found with several parcels of cocaine on Thursday were on Monday remanded to prison when they appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Remanded: Rawle Hoyte

Remanded: Quacy Joseph

The trio was arrested at Shell Gas station on Vlissengen Road, Georgetown after officers of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) found them in a Toyota Premio car with 5.672 kilograms of cocaine.

Forty-four-year-old Joel Hodge a Security Guard of Charlotte Street, Kingston; 52-year-old Rawle Hoyte, a Chef of Sandy Babb Street, Kitty and 40-year-old Quacy Joseph, a Veterinarian of 79 5th Field, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD) appeared before Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty who read the charge to them.

They all pleaded not guilty.

Attorney Stacy Gooding represented the trio and told the court that Joseph, the driver of the rented car, and Hodge were on their way to the gym but stopped at the gas station to make some purchases.

Remanded: Joel Hodge

Joseph then contacted Hoyte saying that the air conditioning of the car needed to be fixed. Hoyte arrived at the gas station accompanied by a technician, carrying a box supposedly containing the AC unit.

The technician began inspecting the air conditioning compressor while Joseph and Hodge stayed in the car. Upon exiting the vehicle, Joseph noticed the technician fleeing from the car, leaving behind the box.

Gooding told the court that her clients had no knowledge of the parcels and requested reasonable bail.

However, the CANU prosecutor objected to bail on the grounds that officers saw the three suspects inside the vehicle at the time of their arrival, and an opened cardboard box was found in the back seat of the car containing four brick like parcels of suspected cocaine.

Officers also found an additional parcel outside the box in the back seat of the car.

The prosecutor also objected to bail on the grounds that the interception between the officers and suspects was captured on body cam footage.

The court was also informed that the investigations are completed.

Bail was denied and the trio is scheduled to return to court on July 31, 2024 for disclosures.

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Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty, Quacy Joseph, Rawle Hoyte, remanded, Security guard

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