–following Wednesday night’s deadly Berbice River mishap

FOLLOWING a mishap on the Berbice River late Wednesday night in which four persons lost their lives, five men were virtually hauled before the New Amsterdam Magistrate’s Court on Thursday for trafficking in narcotics.

Those charged are Kevin Archer, 20, of Maria Emrita Village, Berbice River; Ramnarine Punwasie, 23, of Palmyra Village, East Canje, Berbice; Carl Williams, 51, a fisherman of Adelphi Settlement, East Canje Berbice; Marvin Kissoon,39, a fisherman and boat operator of Sheet Anchor, East Canje, Berbice; and Nadram Punwasie, 38, a carpenter/mason of Palmyra Village, East Canje, Berbice.

All five denied any wrongdoing during a Skype arraignment before Magistrate Peter Hugh, causing Police Prosecutor, Corporal Winston Poliah to object to pre-trial liberty, on the grounds that the accident is still being investigated.

According to Poliah, the older of the two Punwasies also has three robbery charges, as well as a trafficking-in-narcotics matter pending.

Kissoon’s lawyer, Mursulene Bacchus, sought to have an early trial.
The matter has been adjourned to May 7.

According to the Police, on Wednesday, April 28, at Edinburgh Village, East Bank Berbice, the men had in their possession 33 kilograms of cannabis sativa for the purpose of trafficking.