| …sentencing delayed pending probation reportTwo men were yesterday convicted on a drug trafficking charge after they made another appearance before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.Loric WilliamsChris Douglas, of Timehri,Cheap Nike Air Max 97 Shoes For Women, East Bank Demerara and Loric Williams, of 57 Prospect, East Bank Demerara, were found guilty of having 6.34Kg of cocaine in their possession on May 29, 2015 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) Timehri for the purpose of trafficking.The cocaine was found concealed in three bottles of El Dorado 5-year-old rum.Sentencing for the former CJIA employees was deferred until May 30, after their Attorney Jed Vasconcellos requested that a probation report be presented to the court.They were both remanded to prison until that date.Another man,Air Max 95 Sale, Keon Brewster, of Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge Georgetown had also been charged with the same offence. However, he pleaded guilty and was jailed for four years and fined $17M.During the summing up of evidence, the Magistrate told the court that the burden was left on Police Prosecutor,Nike Air Max Shoes For Women, Inspector Neville Jeffers,Cheap Nike Shox Shoes, to prove that the men had possession and knowledge of the drug. She added that it was also left up to the prosecution to prove that the substance was a narcotic and that it was over 15 grams which by law constitutes trafficking.After a revision of the prosecution’s case the Magistrate affirmed that all elements of the offence were proven.In relating the facts of the matter, Magistrate McLennan informed the court that Brewster is an AmericanChris Douglascitizen. She said that on the day in question, he was an outgoing passenger on a Dynamic Airways flight,Nike Shox Gravity 2018, destined for John F. Kennedy Airport, USA. She revealed that a routine check was conducted on Brewster and the three bottles of El Dorado Rum were found in his hand luggage. The rum was probed because the contents of the bottles appeared peculiar.The substance in the bottles tested positive for cocaine after field tests were conducted.As a result, Brewster was arrested and told of the offence. He later implicated Douglas and Williams. Police reviewed CCTV footage from the airport, which showed Brewster and Williams leaving the airport washroom area acting in a suspicious manner.According to Magistrate McLennan,Cheap Adidas Superstar Shoes, the men provided police with caution statements admitting to the offence.When called on to lead their defences, both Douglas and Williams called Brewster to testify on their behalf. During his sworn testimony Brewster had told the court that he was arrested with three bottles of El Dorado Rum. He admitted to ownership of the items and stated that he had found them in the CJIA washroom.Brewster also denied knowing Douglas and Williams.Brewster had testified that he opened one of the bottles and drank some of the rum and pointed out that itKeon Brewsterdid not taste strange.Magistrate McLennan stated that the evidence led by Douglas was a “fanciful” story. She pointed out that the evidence given to the court by Douglas was unbelievable and only strengthened the prosecution’s case. The Magistrate underscored that the story told by Williams was also unbelievable.During the trial Prosecutor Jeffers had presented CCTV footage taken from the airport. In the footage, the Magistrate noted that the court was able to identify Brewster, Douglas and Williams and their movements on the day in question.In her ruling, Magistrate McLennan affirmed that Douglas and Williams’s intention was to assist Brewster with taking the cocaine out of the country. She added that the court was satisfied that cocaine was found in the three bottles of rum and that they had knowledge of it.She stated that the court believed that the rum was tested for cocaine and that the drug weighed over 15 grams which amounts to trafficking. |
