CONVICTED drug kingpin Barry Dataram and his reputed wife Anjanie Boodnarine were handed over to the SWAT Unit of the Guyana Police Force at Moleson Creek, Upper Corentyne, East Berbice on Saturday, hours after they were caught in neighbouring Suriname.

The self-confessed drug lord and his spouse Boodnarine were apprehended by the Surinamese authorities, Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine confirmed on Friday afternoon.

Under heavy police escort from Region Six, East Berbice/Corentyne, the duo was transported to Georgetown, and the self-confessed drug lord was taken straight to the Camp Street prison while his spouse was taken to an undisclosed location.

According to Surinamese media reports, the couple was arrested in the region of Latou, South Paramaribo, on Friday morning by the Arrestatie Team, a special law-enforcement squad.

Dataram was, in late September, found guilty by Magistrate Judy Latchman of being in possession of a quantity of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking; but prior to the magistrate handing down her decision, Dataram and Boodnarine fled the jurisdiction while on bail. In his

absence, he was sentenced to 60 months’ imprisonment and fined one hundred and sixty-four million, two hundred and sixty-

eight dollars (Gy$164,268,000). However, the charge was dismissed against his common-law wife and two others who were also charged.

FAKE GUYANESE PASSPORTS
The Guyana Chronicle understands that the drug lord and his spouse had left the country with Guyana passports issued under a different name. Dataram’s passport – RO376916 – was issued by the Central Immigration and Passport Office in Georgetown on April 15, 2013

under the name “David Persaud”, while Boodnarine’s passport – RO341097 – was issued on January 15, 2016 under the name “Christine Persaud.”

Following their escape from Guyana, President David Granger had instructed law enforcement authorities to “bring them back” to Guyana. At the time, information had suggested that Dataram could not have been using a Guyana passport to escape.

“…after his disappearance, and we weren’t aware of his disappearance, we continued to work with our partners in the Caribbean to bring him to justice. If he is in Suriname, as is suspected, the Commissioner of Police has been instructed to try to ascertain his whereabouts in neighbouring countries, but he is not using a Guyana passport, that much we know,” the Head of State had said.

An investigation has since been launched to determine how Dataram and his reputed wife ended up with the fake Guyana passports.

Acting Police Commissioner David Ramnarine, in a statement issued on Saturday, commended “the excellent collaboration between local law enforcement units and our counterparts in Suriname” in recapturing Dataram.
According to the Police Commissioner, the collaboration represented the best efforts “and sends a clear message that with the use of science and technology in law enforcement, and (with) personnel who are consummate professionals, the public interest is well served.”

On April 16, 2015, at Dataram’s house located at 661 Silver Dam, Fourth Avenue, Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara, 33 parcels of cocaine were found in an upstairs bathroom, while 180 pieces were found in a blue baby tub and 92 pieces in a black garbage bag in the downstairs dining room. A further 142 pieces were found in a freezer with shrimp in the outer yard area. The cocaine amounted to 129.230 kilogrammes.