TWO employees of Timehri Handling Services (THS) at the  Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) have been charged, following investigations into the cocaine bust on Thursday. The cousins, 21-year-old Mark Pollard and Ray Pollard, 19, both of  Ice Road, Timehri, East Bank Demerara, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry yesterday, charged jointly with drug trafficking.
Particulars of the offence, to which they pleaded not guilty, said, on April 26, at CJIA, they trafficked in 4.512 kilogrammes of cocaine.
Police Sergeant Lionel Harvey, prosecuting, said Mark was seen by a Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) officer walking through the arrival entrance at the terminal, wearing a black jacket that was looking bulky.
The prosecutor said the officer became suspicious and kept a close watch on Mark who, later, went to Ray, took off the black jacket and exposed a haversack on his back, which he handed to Ray.
When the officer approached the duo and conducted a search of the haversack, he found four rectangular parcels, which contained the narcotic.
Attorney-at-law Mr. Gordon Gilhuys represented Ray and Mr. Mark Waldron entered appearance for Mark.
Waldron said CANU alleged that the bag of cocaine was found in the baggage area but Mark was not seen with it.
The lawyer pointed out that five persons were arrested but only two were charged and there is nothing to connect them to the crime but said CANU charged them because they are young African males.
In response, the prosecutor admitted that five persons were detained but said the other were released after they assisted in the investigation.
The defendants were remanded to prison and their case was transferred to the Providence court, also on the East Bank of Demerara, for April 30.