A miner was remanded to prison after he denied trafficking in cocaine in Region Eight.
Alexander Brathwaite, 63, of West Coast Berbice, was before Principal Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus on Friday, January 17, 2020. He pleaded not guilty to a charge which stated that on January 14th, at Arakaka compound, he had in his possession 165 grammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
According to Police prosecutor, Tracy-Mat Gittens, police acting on information went to Arakaka. They met Brathwaite at a bar and conducted a search on him. She said that the police found the cocaine in his haversack and according to them, he admitted ownership of the illicit substance.
Brathwaite was represented by attorney-at-law Jerome Khan, who told the court that Brathwaite was on a veranda which is accessible to the public, when he was arrested. He said that Brathwaite was searched by the police, and nothing was found on him. It wasn’t until the police searched the veranda that they showed him the narcotic and he denied ownership. Khan further said that the police had been trying to get Brathwaite to give them information about his boss’ half-brother who is currently on trial for a gold heist.
The matter was transferred to the Mathew’s Ridge Magistrate Court to be heard on February 3rd, 2020. Brathwaite was remanded to prison.
