Saying she was sending a strong signal to drug traffickers, Berbice Magistrate Rhondel Weaver yesterday handed down a five-year jail sentence and a $61M fine to a taxi driver who was found guilty of trafficking over 90 pounds of marijuana.
Puran Persaud, 32, of Lot 62 Rosignol, West Bank Berbice, was found guilty of trafficking 41.945 kilogrammes (equivalent to 92.4728959 pounds) of the drug at the conclusion of his trial at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court.
In delivering the sentence, the magistrate said she was sending a strong signal to those with similar intent. The fine is equal to three times the street value of the narcotics.
Persaud had been called on to lead a defence after Magistrate Weaver overruled a no-case submission that was made by defence lawyer Mursulene Bacchus.
During the trial, Police Inspector Grace Bristol and Sergeant Althea Solomon led evidence to show that Persaud had knowledge and control of the narcotics.
Persaud was in his car when he was intercepted by police on Monday, January 26, 2015, at Bath Settlement, where police say he had 25 parcels containing the drug.
When he was questioned about the bag containing the drugs, he had claimed that it was owned by a fisherman from Cotton Tree Village, West Coast Berbice.
Persaud’s statement to the police had been admitted into evidence at the trial.
Police had alleged that Persaud, after his arrest, had telephoned the fisherman and informed him of his predicament. He then urged the fisherman to meet him at the Fort Wellington drying floor.
After they turned up at the drying floor, the fisherman and his girlfriend were arrested. Police said the man had US$900 in his possession, while the woman had $700,000 in her handbag. It was suspected that the money was intended to be used to bribe police officers.
The discovery led ranks to search the couple’s home, where a plastic wrapped parcel was found in a chair cushion and a scale was also seized.
Initially, Puran was jointly charged with two others but the charges against them were dismissed.
