Nearly 14 years after they were held in a huge drug bust, the Barbados Court of Appeal yesterday ordered the release of two convicted Guyanese drug dealers on time served, in a case which Chief Justice Sir Marston Gibson said was filled with systemic delays.
According to the Barbados Nation, Lemme Michael Campbell and Rohan Shastri Rambarran were held in November 2005 after they along with others smuggled into Barbados 91.3 kilogrammes of cannabis and 119.4 kilogrammes of cocaine in hollowed out logs of wood.
Rambarran was sentenced to 25 years for trafficking in cannabis and 30 years for trafficking in cocaine, while Campbell got 20 years for trafficking in cannabis and 25 for trafficking in cocaine.
Those concurrent sentences were imposed in December 2009.
They appealed in 2010 and the case was heard it 2014. The Barbados Nation noted that the Caribbean Court of Justice then ordered the Court of Appeal to expedite its decision in 2016, and yesterday, while the Court of Appeal dismissed the two men’s appeal, it varied the sentences.
Campbell and Rambarran were given time served and escorted out of court by waiting immigration officers.
Six Guyanese were originally charged in the matter.
Christopher Bacchus, 39, and his wife Diane, 33, of No. 30 Bay Gardens, Bayland, St Michael; Campbell, 40, and his wife, 36-year-old Somwattie Persaud, of 106 New Garden Street, George-town, Guyana; Gavin Wayne Greene, 34, of Bridgefield, St Thomas; and Rambarran, 39, were all charged with importing cocaine and marijuana worth Bds$7 million, between November 23 and 30, 2005. The Bacchuses, Campbell, Persaud and Green were charged with possession of cocaine and marijuana with intent to supply, and trafficking of the drugs, while Rambarran, a businessman, was charged with importing the cocaine and marijuana some time between November 23 and 30, 2005.
They had all pleaded not guilty to the offences.
All six were convicted and sentenced on Decem-ber 11, 2009.
•Campbell, whom Jus-tice Goodridge said played a “major role” in the incident was sentenced to 115 years in prison – 15 years for importing, 15 years for possession and 20 years for trafficking in cannabis; 20 years for importing, 20 years for possession, and 25 years for trafficking in cocaine.
•Persaud, whom the judge said played a “subordinate role” in the incident and who was told that “immediate release was not an option” was sentenced to 47 years in prison – ten years for possession of cannabis, 12 years for trafficking of cannabis; ten years for possession and trafficking in cocaine 15 years.
•Christopher Bacchus was sentenced to 47 years in prison – ten years for possession of cannabis; ten years for possession of cocaine; 12 and 15 years for trafficking in cannabis and cocaine respectively.
•Diane Bacchus was sentenced to 47 years in prison – ten years for possession of cannabis; ten years for possession of cocaine; 12 and 15 years for trafficking of cannabis and cocaine respectively.
•Green was sentenced to 47 years in prison – ten years for possession of cannabis; ten years for possession of cocaine; 12 and 15 years for trafficking of cannabis and cocaine respectively.
•Rambarran was sentenced to 125 years in prison – 15 years for the importation, 15
years for possession and 25 years for trafficking cannabis; 20 years for importation, 20 years for possession and 30 years for trafficking of cocaine.
The judge told Rambarran he was the “mastermind behind getting the illegal drugs” and making sure they were shipped to Barbados and noted the high level of sophistication involved. She also told him that he would have profited greatly from the deal and that he was motivated by greed and therefore the custodial sentences were justified.
The sentences ran concurrently. It is unclear whether the other four are still serving their sentences.
Barbados police discovered more than 109 packages of cocaine and 78 packages of marijuana in a shipment of lumber, which arrived from Guyana. On November 18, 2005, agents of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) had searched a consignment of timber destined for Barbados at the GNIC wharf after they received a tip off that it contained drugs.
However, the search yielded nothing. At the time, a CANU source said they had received a tip off that led them to search the load at the wharf, and the exporter was subsequently questioned.
