The man who confessed to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) to supplying a Guyanese woman with cocaine, which she was busted with in the US last week, has been released from custody on bail as the investigation continues.
Head of CANU James Singh yesterday told Stabroek News that the man was released over the weekend. He said that the unit is continuing the investigation and that it is awaiting some information from US authorities.
Once this is received, then the file would be completed and sent to the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice on what charges should be laid.
Last week, Singh had revealed that the man had admitted to providing the 35 pounds of cocaine that Emily Leitch was busted with when she arrived from Guyana at the John F Kennedy International Airport.
Singh had said that the man was arrested based on intelligence received, a day after Leitch was busted in New York. Singh, who had said that he could not reveal much about the case as the investigation was ongoing, said that the man was arrested at a Campbellville address, which belongs to his mother, and he admitted to providing the drugs to the woman.
“He was arrested based on intelligence and yes he confessed to providing the drugs but I can’t say anymore because the matter is still being investigated,” Singh said, while adding that the man is likely to face charges soon.
CANU received information about the man’s location and swooped down on the house where he was found. Although nothing illegal was found on the man’s person or at the address where he was held, this newspaper understands that investigators found “incriminating evidence.”
Stabroek News understands that the man may also face indictment in the US, and as such officials are working to build an airtight case against him. It means that officials would have to speak to witnesses both in the US and here and CANU officials are working closely with their US counterparts to this end.
Leitch, 28, was busted at the New York airport with the cocaine stashed in her luggage, in El Dorado rum and in food cans. She was later granted bail in the sum of US$75,000, according to US court documents. She is accused of knowingly, intentionally and unlawfully importing into the US, a substance containing cocaine. Conditions of her release on bail include that she cannot leave the New York area without court permission and the surrender of her passport. She has also been placed under the supervision of the Pretrial Services Agency and must report to the Agency as directed.
