The four men who were recently nabbed by the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) were yesterday charged with possession of narcotics.
24-year-old Erwin Chappelle; Doodnauth Bhagwandin, 35; Kevin Ramgoolam, 27; and 29-year-old Mark Barton, all appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool where they were jointly charged.
The charges against the four men state that on August 1st at Middle Street, South Vryheid’s Lust, East Coast Demerara (ECD), they had in their possession 1.750 kilogrammes of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
The four defendants pleaded not guilty to the charge and were remanded to prison until September 20, 2022.
According to CANU, the unit was conducting an operation at a residence in Middle Street, South Vryheid’s Lust, ECD, when they intercepted a motor vehicle with four male occupants.
A search was then carried out on the vehicle and four parcels of suspected cannabis were discovered.
The men, along with the suspected narcotics, were subsequently escorted to CANU headquarters where the substance tested positive for cannabis. The parcels weighed a total of 1.750 kg, with a street value of approximately $2.8 million (approximately US $13,500).
CANU noted that the cannabis is known as ‘kush’ and is suspected to have been exported from North America.
