Self-confessed drug trafficker Barry Dataram yesterday accused a Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) officer of lying when he took the stand at his trial yesterday.
At the time, CANU officer Andrew Yarde was continuing his testimony in a city court, where Dataram, his common-law wife Anjanie Boodnarine, Kevin Charran, and Trevor Gouveia are on trial for the alleged possession of 129.230 kilogrammes of cocaine (equivalent to 284 pounds) that were found at the Lot 661 Silver Dam, Fourth Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme house.
Yarde, who was led in evidence by CANU Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford-Thompson, told Magistrate Judy Latchman that he had never raided Dataram for drugs before the bust at the Diamond house on April 16, last year.
Yarde said that he has been at CANU for over six years and there was never a raid on Dataram up until April 16, 2015.
After Yarde’s statement, Dataram, who was without his attorney Glenn Hanoman, exploded in court, saying “This man is lying. How he could say he never come on a raid before …!”
Disregarding Dataram’s outburst, Yarde continued with his testimony, saying that it was after the raid that Dataram was raided in another instance. The witness said that though the defendant’s vehicle was raided, he was not a suspect.
Yarde also told the court that in February of this, year he was watching a television newscast, where he saw journalist Travis Chase interviewing Dataram. According to Yarde, in the interview he heard Dataram say that he is a drug dealer and half of the drugs CANU seized from him were back on the streets.
Magistrate Latchman adjourned the proceedings until today.
