Coast Guardsman on cocaine trafficking charge
- Friday, 02 May 2014 15:24
A member of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard, accused of being in possession of a large quantity of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), was Friday refused bail and remanded to prison.
Facing the summary charge is 22- year old Private Zegga Phillips of 440 Kuru Kuru Soesdyke, Linden Highway.
He pleaded not guilty to allegedly being in possession of 4.342 kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking about 2:30 AM on April 30 at the CJIA.
Phillips was ordered to return to court on May 15.
Defence Lawyer, Patrice Henry said his client had hired a car to take a passenger to the airport and was informed that they would have been picking up an incoming passenger. Henry said that after the car was parked, Phillips received a text message that the passenger had forgotten a bag in the car.
Phillips, who was at the time operating a taxi, PLL 9026, was later approached by an agent of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) who told him of his suspicions and asked that a search be conducted. It was at that juncture that Phillips showed his identification card and said that he was a soldier.
The court was told that a search revealed two black plastic bags containing four bricks of a substance that were later positively tested as cocaine.
CANU Prosecutor, Oswald Massiah said that after the anti narcotics agent cautioned Phillips, he said “let’s work out something buddy.”