The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) has applied to Magistrate Judy Latchman to summon journalist Travis Chase and a station manager to testify in the trial of self-confessed drug trafficker Barry Dataram.
Dataram, his common-law wife Anjanie Boodnarine, Kevin Charran, and Trevor Gouveia, are currently on trial for the alleged possession of 129.230 kilogrammes of cocaine (equivalent to 284 pounds), which police say was found at his Diamond Housing Scheme home last year April.
The trial, which was set to continue yesterday before Magistrate Latchman, was to see Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) officer Andrew Yarde face cross-examination by attorney Glenn Hanoman, who represents the four defendants.
A request was instead made by CANU prosecutor Konyo Sandiford-Thompson for summons to be ordered for HGPTV employee Chase and station manager Nyjel Fraser to appear. The request for the summons, according to the prosecutor, was based on comments made by Dataram during an interview with Chase that was televised.
This was objected to by Hanoman, who stated that an investigation should be conducted by CANU investigators as it relates to the interview then it should be introduced to the court.
Subsequent to submissions from both sides, Magistrate Latchman stated that she will consider the application and give a decision at the next hearing.
A request was also made by Hanoman to have the trial suspended since a Board of Inquiry (BoI) has been set up to investigate recent claims made by Dataram about the involvement of CANU in the drug trade and corruption.
He added that there are some witnesses involved in the present trial against the defendants who may be charged during the BoI. This request was denied by the magistrate, who stated that the trial will continue regardless. May 4 is set for the continuation of the trial and for the decision on the prosecutor’s application.
Dataram, during the interview, had admitted that he is involved in the drug trade but said he has never been convicted on a criminal charge. He also accused a high ranking CANU official of being involved in the drug trade and added that the rank would take as much as $10 million to allow cocaine to leave the country. Dataram also alleged that the majority of the drugs that is seized by CANU returns to the streets. He said that he knew of this because of his involvement and his friends’ involvement in the trade.
“I know what is going on in the streets… I know what is going on in CANU… them is the enemies and they have to know that just like how they got things on me I get things on them,” he said.
CANU’s head James Singh subsequently denied the allegations and called on Dataram to provide sworn statements for past and ongoing investigations.
