After saying he knew nothing, Guyanese Heeralall Sukdeo, who has been charged in the United States with attempting to smuggle 268 kilogrammes of cocaine in a shrimp shipment, is now in plea negotiation the US government the results of which may be known on August 9.
Sukdeo, who had initially pleaded not guilty appeared in court last week Thursday and according to a court filing both the prosecution and the defence requested a further date as they are in plea negotiation which could see the case being disposed without a trial.
According to a complaint unsealed last month in Brooklyn Federal Court, agents secretly removed the cocaine-filled shipment and tailed the container after it cleared customs on June 15. The container was delivered to an unidentified warehouse in Brooklyn, where agents spotted Sukdeo “together with others … organizing and supervising the unloading” of the shipment.
Sukdeo, a Lusignan businessman, had initially said he was innocent of any wrongdoing. “Sukdeo stated that he was present only in the vicinity of the truck containing the target shipment because he was curious about its contents,” US Homeland Security Special Agent Ryan Varrone stated in the complaint.
Sukdeo, 59, who is the owner of Sukdeo Sons Fishing, a shipping company based in Queens, New York, also has a branch of his company at Lusignan. His local address is Courbane Park, Annandale, East Coast Demerara.
Following Sukdeo’s arrest, the shipper of the shrimp Imrain Khan turned himself over to local authorities but was later released.
Last week, Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) James Singh had said that authorities are closely following the case in the US to determine whether anyone would be charged locally with the US$12 million ($2.4 billion) bust.
He had said without cooperation from Sukdeo pertinent information will not be gathered as it relates to others who may have conspired with him in the shipment.
Singh had said the US authorities have shared some documents with their Guyanese counterparts and these are now being reviewed but the trial is key as information revealed could result in persons in Guyana being charged.
