Single father Kenneth Hazel, of Crabwood Creek, Corentyne, yesterday told a court that he did not know the whereabouts of his six-year-old daughter after police arrested him on an allegation of drug trafficking.
Although police say Hazel was found in possession of cocaine after a surveillance operation, he told Magistrate Ann McLennan that the narcotics were on the ground next to him when police stopped him, shortly after he dropped his daughter off at school.
It is alleged that Hazel, on September 18, while at Crabwood Creek, had 1.6 grammes of cocaine for trafficking. Hazel, who was unrepresented, pleaded not guilty to the charge.
Hazel, in his recollection of his arrest, stated that he had just dropped off his daughter at school when police stopped him. He said when he was stopped, there was something on the ground next to him and the police picked it up and told him it was narcotics.
He relayed that he was later charged with possession of the drugs but was adamant that it did not belong to him since he neither smokes nor drinks because he takes care of his daughter on his own.
Hazel also told the magistrate that he is unaware of where his daughter is and does not have any family members that can take care of her. He further stated that he is a cattle farmer and his cattle have been locked up in their enclosure since his incarceration.
Prosecutor Deniro Jones, however, reported that members of the Police Narcotics Branch, during a surveillance activity, had gone to Hazel’s home, which was a known drug yard. While there, he said, they saw the narcotics on the ground and informed the defendant of the charge he would be facing.
Despite Hazel’s pleas to the court, he was remanded to prison and the matter was transferred to the Springlands Magistrate’s Court, where it will be heard on September 29.
