A US citizen who was allegedly nabbed with a quantity of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, was yesterday remanded to prison when she appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
The allegation against Shatise Atina Valentine is that on Tuesday at the airport she had in her possession seven kilogrammes of cocaine and was attempting to export the narcotics.
The woman pleaded not guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when it was read to her by acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.
When the defendant was initially read the charge and asked to plead by the magistrate, she provided no response as she gazed in the distance while remaining silent.
The acting chief magistrate again asked the accused whether she was guilty or not. Valentine then immediately responded that she did not understand the charge. She went on to explain to the court that since her detention she was not given a phone call to contact relatives nor was she provided an attorney.
“I don’t understand the charge and I haven’t had one phone call since I’m here, nor do I have a lawyer.”
The magistrate, however, made it clear to the woman that she needed to enter a plea to the charge.
Again the accused went silent and did not offer a single response.
“You have to plead to the charge,” the magistrate restated.
After about a thirty-second delay, a visibly reluctant Valentine calmly entered a not guilty plea.
In giving the facts of the case, Special Prosecutor of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Oswald Massiah told the court that the accused was an outgoing passenger to the United States when she was nabbed by CANU officials with the illegal substance.
Massiah said that the woman came to Guyana under the pretext of attending a wedding but after investigations were conducted it was found that this wasn’t the case.
According to the special prosecutor, the defendant’s luggage was being checked via the scanner by immigration officials when a CANU officer became suspicious of a substance appearing to be cocaine.
The woman’s suitcase was then taken and examined and the suspicious substance was tested and confirmed as being that of cocaine which was found concealed in false interior sections of the suitcase. Another set of cocaine was found hidden in milk tins. The defendant was then told of the offence, cautioned and arrested.
Valentine was remanded to prison until November 26.
