A Nandy Park customs broker and his reputed wife yesterday appeared in court accused of giving more than one kilogramme of cocaine to a Bahamian woman, who was later nabbed at the airport with the drugs hidden in false walls of her suitcase.
Sunil Dat, 34, of 111 Collingswood Avenue, Nandy Park, East Bank Demerara and Shelly Singh, 25, of the same address denied the trafficking in narcotics charge and Principal Magistrate Melissa Robertson-Ogle remanded them both to prison.
It is alleged that on February 3 at Republic Park, EBD the two defendants were in possession of narcotics, by supplying one kilogramme, 586 grammes of cocaine to Melecia Ewing.
Ewing appeared in court on Tuesday and was sentenced to four years in prison by Magistrate Robertson-Ogle. She was also ordered to pay a $10,000 fine.
When the 30-year-old Bahamian went to court she was crying uncontrollably. She told the court that this was the first time she had committed the offence and stated that she was very sorry. Ewing also informed the court that this was her first time in Guyana. In her defence she stated that a friend gave the drugs to her and two other friends.
On Monday, she was an outgoing passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri on a flight to Miami when police stopped her and searched her suitcase. Ranks found the cocaine secreted in fake walls of her suitcase. She was arrested and told of the offence. While in custody, Ewing reportedly gave the names of the two defendants to the police who later went and arrested them.
Attorney-at-law K Juman Yassin entered appearance for the couple yesterday. Despite a lengthy argument about the medical condition of Dat, bail was still refused.
In his failed bail application, Yassin told the court that Singh assists her reputed husband in his work and is also a housewife. The couple has a child together, he said. He stated that Dat is suffering from a heart problem. The defence counsel informed the court that his client had a heart attack two weeks ago and has also been diagnosed with angina.
“He is on medication and has been attending Dr. Hanoman. In order for him to sleep he needs to use a