–magistrate apologises for not being ready for commencement

COMMENCEMENT of the trial against convicted drug lord Barry Dataram and his reputed wife Anjanie Boodnarine in relation to a quantity of ammunition found at their home in 2015 was on Friday stalled by City Magistrate Judy Latchman.

Magistrate Latchman apologized for not being ready to commence the trial, and adjourned same until December 13. At that hearing, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford-Thompson was ready to proceed with the trial, and had two witnesses present.

Dataram, of 13 Vriesland, West Bank Demerara, and his 20-year-old reputed wife Anjanie Boodnarine, of 79 Patentia Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara, are jointly charged with having 180.23 rounds of ammunition in their possession at Diamond, East Bank Demerara on April 16, 2015, without either of them being the holder of a firearm licence.

The couple was charged on October 18 for forgery; wilfully attempting to defeat the administration of the law, and departing Guyana without presenting themselves to an immigration officer. These charges were laid against them three days after they were recaptured in Suriname, having fled Guyana, abandoning a drug trafficking trial.
Boodnarine had pleaded not guilty to the charges.

Dataram was jailed for two years, having pleaded guilty to the three charges, which run concurrently. He has been fined $164,268,000 and a 60 months’ jail sentence was imposed on him after Magistrate Judy Latchman found him guilty in absentia for trafficking over 100 kilograms of cocaine.

Dataram was charged with his reputed wife and their friends Trevor Gouveia and Komal Charran, for having 129.23kg of cocaine in their possession on April 16, 2015 for the purpose of trafficking.
However, the charges were dismissed against Boodnarine, Gouveia and Charran after Magistrate Latchman ruled that there was insufficient evidence to convict them.

Dataram, a Guyana-born American, had successfully fought off efforts to extradite him to the United States of America to face drug smuggling charges. Dataram fled Guyana to neighbouring Suriname before the trial ended. Dataram, 38, who gave his occupation as a farmer, had no legal representation.

On September 20, 2016, Dataram and his reputed wife departed Guyana for Suriname via the back-track route at Springlands. They used fake passports. The couple was arrested by Surinamese authorities and later handed over to police in Guyana. Investigations were launched, and it was discovered that there were no records of Dataram leaving Guyana at the Passport Office

He forged the passport by inserting a photograph of himself on the bio-data page with the name David Persaud, while Anjanie Boodnarine used the name Christine Persaud.