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A NIGERIAN national was remanded to prison yesterday on a drug trafficking charge.
Paul A`teli, 42, of Lot 20 Delhi Street, Prashad Nagar, appeared before Magistrate Sueanna Lovell and pleaded not guilty to the offence, particulars of which said, on January 23, at North Road, Bourda, also in Georgetown, he had 510 grammes of cocaine in his possession for the purpose.The defendant, who was unrepresented by counsel, said he is a language translator and visits Guyana frequently.
Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Special Prosecutor Oswald Massiah told the Court that the defendant gave CANU officers an address in Suriname and the police are likely to lay other charges against him since he is an undocumented visitor.
His case has been postponed to February 13.
A’teli was one of two drug defendants in the same court yesterday. The other, cosmetologist Debbie Barker, who was refused bail on a similar charge last Tuesday, was sent on further remand until February 9.
Attorney-at-law Mr. Mortimer Coddett, in association with Mr. Paul Fung-a-Fat made a bail application, citing special reasons.
Coddett claimed A’teli manipulated Barker in a cocaine scheme but the request for granting the latter pre-trial liberty was denied when the magistrate questioned the facts of the case, which stated that Barker, who is 49 years old, went to the General Post Office (GPO) with a false identification card and a package containing the narcotic.
The magistrate informed the lawyer that the basis advanced were not special reasons for the granting of bail, which should relate to the offence and not the offender.
Barker, of Lot 2655 South Ruimveldt Park, in the city, too, made her first appearance before Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on Tuesday and pleaded not guilty to attempting the exportation of 510 grammes of cocaine at (GPO).
Fung-a-Fat, who first represented the defendant, said she is cooperating with (CANU) officers and it was likely that her case will be dropped, because she would be giving evidence against another defendant.
Massiah said Barker went to GPO with a box containing false nails to export and was in possession of an identification card bearing her picture with the name Dawn Alicia Jordan.
He said, as is the CANU custom, the box was opened and searched and the nails were found wrapped in cardboard and plastic with a powdery substance between.
