The attorney for accused cocaine trafficker Andre Gomes, also known as ‘Zipper,’ yesterday urged a city magistrate to find him not guilty of the crime, while accusing the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) of manipulating the evidence.
Gomes, of Lot 32 Craig Street, Campbellville, is accused of trafficking 992 grammes (equivalent to 2.1 pounds) of cocaine, on January 20th, 2018 at Craig Street, Campbellville.
Gomes, who was called upon by Magistrate Leron Daly to lead a defence in the matter, gave an unsworn statement yesterday.
In it, he said he would be relying on the caution statement that he gave to CANU ranks.
Subsequent to this statement, attorney Mark Waldron, who represents Gomes, threw a question to the court, asking why CANU would manipulate evidence the way they did to secure the conviction of the defendant. This question was based on what are considered to have been several inconsistencies in the evidence of the main witness and the evidence presented to the court.
Because of these inconsistencies, Waldron urged the magistrate to find his client not guilty of the crime.
CANU prosecutor Konyo Sandiford, however, maintained that there is sufficient evidence presented to the court to find Gomes guilty for the crime. She noted that the prosecution was relying heavily on the evidence of the main witness and would rely on the evidence presented to the court.
Subsequent to the prosecutor’s submissions, Magistrate Daly adjourned the matter until July 9th, when a ruling is expected to be made.
