THE trial of motorbike racer, Stephen Vieira and three other men, including a former customs official, has been deferred until February 2018.

Former Customs Officer, Sherwayne De Abreu of Street Eight, Section ‘A’ Liliendaal, Greater Georgetown; Vieira of Middle Street, South Cummingsburg, Georgetown; and businessman, Tazim Gafoor and his son, Nazim Gafoor, a motorcar racer, both of Menzies Street, Windsor Forest, West Coast Demerara are accused of aiding Hakim Mohamed to traffic in 84.986 kilogrammes of cocaine between March 1 and May 2.

The trial was scheduled to commence before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool at the Leonora Magistrate’s Court on Friday, but the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor, Konyo Sandiford, begged the court for an adjournment date.
Sandiford told the court that while the main witness, Hakim Mohamed, was present, his evidence-in-chief would be more than four hours.

The men are represented by Attorneys-at-law Latchmie Rahamat, Everton Lammy-Singh and Glenn Hanoman.
With no objection from the attorneys, the magistrate adjourned the matter until February 6, 2018, when Mohammed will take the witness stand.

CANU had focused attention on the suspects following the discovery of some 84.986 kilogrammes (187lbs) of cocaine worth $550M in lumber at the Lot 227 Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo premises of Mohamed on May 12.

The bust was made just as the lumber was being packed into a truck. CANU ranks had searched a truck laden with several pallets of 1×6 dressed lumber boards prepared for export. Several pieces of boards were drilled randomly by the ranks and revealed a whitish substance.

The lumber was packed at a sawmill sited at Lookout, East Bank Essequibo, belonging to Narine Lall, to be transported to a wharf in Georgetown and then shipped to the US. Vieira was listed on the shipping documents as a representative of the shipper, Narine Lall. He has been charged separately in absentia with trafficking in narcotics.