ONE month after 48-year-old Rajendra Persaud was sentenced to four years imprisonment, on Monday, March 04, 2019, Madam Justice Jo-Ann Barlow at the High Court released him on $700,000 bail pending an appeal by his attorney.

The bail application was made by Persaud’s attorney, Siand Dhurjon, who argued that his client was wrongfully jailed by trial Magistrate Rushell Liverpool at the Leonora Magistrates Court.
Persaud, a mechanic, on January 1, 2019, was sentenced and fined $50M after being found guilty of trafficking 35 kilogrammes of cannabis and 13.8 kilogrammes of cocaine on June 6, 2018.

Persaud was jointly charged and was on trial with Khamraj Lall, 39, of Zeelugt, East Bank Essequibo; 36-year-old Marlon Lawrence of Felicity, East Coast Demerara (ECD); Cleve Thornhill, and 36-year-old Doodnauth Chattergoon, also of Zeelugt.

However, Persaud was found guilty of the charge, since it was found that he had knowledge and control of the illicit drugs, while his other co-accused were freed.
During Monday’s hearing before Justice Barlow, Dhurjon raised several concerns surrounding the magistrate’s ruling to convict his client.

According to reports, CANU ranks, on June 6, 2018, at Parika, East Bank Essequibo, intercepted the five men with the cocaine and cannabis stashed in false bottoms of two 15-gallon gas bottles.

CANU was able to make the “bust” after receiving information pertaining to a shipment of drugs arriving at Parika, from Charity, in a speedboat.
Acting on the information, CANU officers then went to the Parika location where they intercepted motor vehicles PSS 8019 and PVV 7934.

In one motor car were Lawrence and Persaud, while Thornhill and the other co-accused were in the other.

The vehicles were searched and two blue 15-gallon gas bottles were found with the bottoms cut and covered with brown paste.
A further examination of the containers revealed several packages, some containing cannabis and others containing the suspected cocaine.