Dataram’s cocaine case pushed back after his witnesses fail to show

Several armed CANU ranks guarded the Court House as Dataram, his wife and several other family members made their way into the building and for as long as the evidence was there.

Dataram’s cocaine case pushed back after his witnesses fail to show

Several sealed boxes of what appeared to be the cocaine, ammunition and cash that were seized back in April 2015 in a house in Diamond, were on Thursday morning taken into the Georgetown Magistrates Court by armed ranks of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit.

There, the case involving self-confessed drug lord Barry Dataram was expected to get underway before Magistrate Judy Latchman, but it was put off until April 28, 2016, due to the unavailability of witnesses.

Several armed CANU ranks guarded the Court House as Dataram, his wife and several other family members made their way into the building and for as long as the evidence was there.

Dataram’s Attorney claimed that he had four witnesses but all of the persons were not available for Thursday’s hearing.

Magistrate Latchman, as a consequence, put off the matter until later this month.

On April 16, 2015 CANU ranks seized over 225 pounds of cocaine, along with ammunition and cash during a raid in a house at Diamond, East Bank Demerara.

The cocaine was found in frozen seafood and in loose form and it is believed that the illegal substance was being packaged for trafficking out of Guyana.

Found in the house with the illegal items was Barry Dataram, who had successfully fought off an extradition attempt to the United States a few years ago after he was named in US Court documents as a drug dealer.

His wife and three other persons were also arrested during the raid.

Only last month, Dataram appeared in a televised interview and said that the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit was involved in the drug trade and that the unit had agents who were allowing cocaine to pass through the Cheddi Jagan Airport.

CANU immediately dismissed the allegations of Dataram, but a Board of Inquiry has been set up by President David Granger to investigate the allegations made.

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