The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officer who led the search of Barry Dataram’s Diamond Housing Scheme property, where authorities say 129.230 kilogrammes of cocaine (equivalent to 284 pounds) was found in seafood, yesterday began his testimony at the trial of the accused.
Dataram, his common-law wife Anjanie Boodnarine, Kevin Charran, and Trevor Gouveia, are currently on trial for possession of the cocaine for trafficking.
CANU officer Anthony Yarde, who is now stationed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, stated that he and other officers carried out the operation on April 16, 2015, at the 661 Lot X, Diamond Housing Scheme home of Dataram.
Yarde gave a detailed description of the two-storey premises. He added that on their arrival he and the other CANU officers began shouting, “Inside! Open up! CANU!”
This, he stated, continued for quite some time, with no response from anyone inside the home. It was at this point that he and the other officers entered the yard, while he instructed a few officers to stand guard outside.
Yarde recounted that when he and some of the other officers were finally able to enter the top flat of the home, he observed a man, who he discovered to be Dataram, standing beside a bed and a woman, who was found to be Boodnarine, sitting on the bed holding a baby.
Questioning of Dataram, he said, revealed that there were two other occupants in the home in the bathroom of the same room—Charran and Gouveia. Further questioning, he added, later revealed that Dataram was the owner of the premises.
Yarde stated that he informed the accused that he had information that there were narcotics on the premises in their possession for the purpose of trafficking and requested that he and the other CANU offers search the premises in their presence. This search was then conducted, according to Yarde, in the presence of the four accused, on their persons, the bedroom they were in and three other bedrooms on that flat. Yarde added that the search of the upper flat led to no discovery of any narcotics.
Magistrate Judy Latchman then adjourned the hearing and set it for continuation on March 16, when Yarde will continue his testimony.
