A FORMER baggage handler at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport after being on the run from the police since 2016 was on Tuesday remanded to prison over his alleged involvement in trafficking 1.3 kilos of cocaine found aboard a Dynamic Airways flight at the JFK International Airport in New York.

Kennard De Jonge, 34, who was attached to Roraima Airways appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan and denied that between February 1 and February 2, 2016 at Timehri, he conspired with persons known and unknown to traffic narcotics. The unrepresented defendant was remanded to prison until October 19.
Currently, immigration officers Oral David, 29, Orin Parris, 24, Raduskie Wright, 24, and security officer Diane Jackson, 31, are on trial before City Magistrate Leron Daly for the said offence.
According to reports, a package of cocaine was unearthed in the baggage hold of the Dynamic Airways flight after it landed at JFK on February 2, 2016. The cocaine was reportedly placed in the baggage hold by a local handler and was unearthed by handling staff while clearing luggage from the aircraft upon its arrival in the USA.
In light of the discovery, Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) launched investigations which led to the arrest of the three immigration officers and the security guard.
The police had issued a wanted bulletin for De Jonge’s arrest in February 2016 but he was only recently arrested by police.