Convicted drug trafficker Dennis Jones yesterday found himself back before a city court, where he was charged with trafficking 10 grammes of cocaine and forging an identification card.
It is alleged that Jones, 62, on January 18, at the Guyana Post Office Corporation (GPOC), trafficked 10.64 grammes of cocaine that was mailed by him. Jones, 62, was read a second charge which stated that he, between September 1 and September 30, 2016, at Georgetown, with intent to defraud, forged a Guyana identification card in the name of Josiah Jones purporting to show that it was issued by the Guyana Elections Commission (Gecom).
He pleaded not guilty to both charges after they were read to him by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan. Attorney Eusi Anderson, who appeared on behalf of Jones, told the court that his client adamantly denied the allegations being levelled against him. He also noted that while his client was in custody, he would have been denied access to food, an attorney, and a family member, while he was even offered several inducements.
Anderson then requested that his client be released on bail for the forgery charge.
In relation to the drug trafficking charge, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) prosecutor Konyo Sandiford objected to bail, while stating that no special reasons were presented by the defendants’ attorney for bail to be granted. She added that Jones provided a caution statement outlining the details of the matter. Prior to being arrested, Jones, according to Sandiford, was found hiding in the ceiling of his home. The court heard that the CANU prosecutor had video footage of the defendant at the post office and noted that he was also found to have made similar shipments on other occasions.
The court heard that Jones is a repeat offender and was released in 2015 after serving a four-year sentence for trafficking cocaine in soap powder.
Meanwhile, police prosecutor Neville Jeffers made objections to bail in relation to the forgery charge. According to the prosecutor, the forged identification card was found at the home of Jones. When questioned about the card, the convict allegedly admitted to the police that he created it in September. Subsequent checks at Gecom revelead that the card was not issued by the agency, the court was also told.
Chief Magistrate McLennan subsequently denied Jones bail and remanded him to prison until February 14.
