THE alleged mastermind in the Canadian drug ring including two women who ingested cocaine pellets, made his second Court appearance yesterday and was further remanded to prison.

Magistrate Hazel Octave-Hamilton, before whom Walter Remington Aaron, 37, of Lot 37 Robb Street, Lacytown, Georgetown appeared, postponed his case to August 24.

The charge against Aaron said, last June 22, he was in possession of 1.28 kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Defence Counsel Glen Hanoman, in another failed bail application, said Aaron ‘willingly presented’ himself to Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officers when he heard they were looking for him.

The lawyer said the defendant, who pleaded not guilty, is a popular taxi driver who was hired to transport Brittani Shand and Tanya Mohammed, both 20, from Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, East Bank Demerara.

Hanoman claimed the women, who have also been charged, were told by CANU ranks that the only way they would have been treated lightly was if they revealed the name of the mastermind.

He said CANU officers offered that, if the women gave them the name, they, in turn, would see what they can do for the female defendants.

Hanoman said Shand and Mohammed were advised by the CANU officers that they would have simply been deported to their country once they cooperated and they named Aaron, who was the only person they knew in Guyana at the time.

“The allegation was made only on the say-so of these two desperate young ladies,” counsel submitted.

According to him, Aaron’s good friend had called him from overseas and asked him to pick up his girlfriend at Timehri and, after doing so, he took her and the other woman to his house because they had no money.

Hanoman said cockroaches attacked the women at Aaron’s home and that caused him to take them to a cheap hotel.

CANU Prosecutor Oswald Massiah, however, maintained that Shand and Mohammed came to Guyana specifically on arrangements involving Aaron.

He said Aaron is the main player and local architect in the case surrounding the illegal drug.

Aaron first appeared in Court last week Friday, before Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson together with Shand, of Lot 59 Annapolis Way, Ontario, Canada.

Shand is jointly accused with Mohammed, who was hospitalised to undergo surgery and extract the pellets lodged in her stomach.

They were both busted at the airport on entering this country.