Taxi driver caught with marijuana in sting operation

PURAN Ramoo called Anand, 31, of Lot 88 Number Two Settlement, Blairmont, West Bank Berbice, was remanded to prison yesterday on a drug trafficking charge.

He pleaded not guilty to the offence, details of which alleged that, on Wednesday, November 20, in Georgetown, he had 2.360 kilogrammes of cannabis sativa (marijuana) for the purpose.
Police Corporal Bharat Mangru, prosecuting, told the Court that ranks, acting on information, conducted a search on a red motor car, in which a red bag was found in the trunk and the driver, when questioned, said the defendant gave it to him to drop off in Georgetown.
A sting operation was set up by the police, who instructed the driver to call the defendant and when he came to uplift the bag he was arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, where a search, in his presence, unearthed the illegal substance which was weighed, the prosecutor related.
Ramoo was represented by attorney-at-law Mr. James Bond who made a failed bail application, stating that the former suffers from a chronic illness of which the police are aware, as he had a few attacks while in custody.
Bond claimed Ramoo was told to collect a bag from a fellow taxi driver and he headed to a street where, on his arrival there, the other driver threw the bag in his car and the next thing he knew he was held at gunpoint.
Became afraid
The lawyer said Ramoo became afraid because he had $2M on him and thought he was being robbed. However, when he was taken into custody, the police showed him a different bag than the one they found in his possession.
Defence Counsel also made a plea for Ramoo’s car, PNN 6445, to be returned to him as the latter maintains his innocence.
The lawyer asked the magistrate to note that $600,000 was missing from Ramoo’s money, pointing out that taxi drivers are called to pick up persons but do not question what is in their bags.
The prosecutor maintained his objection to pre-trial freedom for Ramoo, insisting that no special reason was provided by Defence Counsel for the grant and added that, when the driver received the call, he turned up to receive the bag which proves that he had knowledge of the offence.
Eventually, the case was transferred to Magistrate Judy Latchman for report and fixture on December 3.