NEARLY nine years after a drug bust in the capital, a 31-year-old clothes vendor has been found guilty of cocaine trafficking.

Shemroy Robertson, known as “Minutes,” was recently convicted by a 12-member jury in the High Court in Demerara for possessing 1.156 kilogrammes of cocaine for trafficking. The verdict was delivered before Justice Priscilla Chandra-Hanif, who has deferred sentencing to a later date.

Robertson’s conviction stems from a 2016 operation by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU). Officers had intercepted a gold Nissan Bluebird in the vicinity of Princes Street, Louisa Row, and Hadfield Street, Georgetown. During the pursuit, Robertson was seen throwing a black plastic bag through the driver’s side window.

The discarded bag was later recovered and found to contain 139 pellets filled with a whitish substance. Forensic analysis confirmed the substance to be cocaine, weighing just over a kilogramme.

Following the discovery, CANU officers tracked Robertson to a Mandela Avenue residence, where he was found hiding under a bed. He was arrested and subsequently charged with possession of narcotics for trafficking.

At his trial, Robertson was represented by Attorney-at-Law Lyndon Amsterdam, while the State’s case was led by prosecutors, attorneys-at-law Darin Chan and Latifah Elliot.

In an unsworn statement from the dock, Robertson denied any connection to the drugs, claiming he had no involvement in the offence. However, after reviewing the evidence presented by CANU officers, the jury unanimously rejected his defence and returned a guilty verdict.

In August, Robertson was found guilty of aiding the commission of trafficking 1.174 kilogrammes of cannabis. He was sentenced to two years in prison and fined $30,000 by Magistrate Fabayo Azore at the Vigilance Magistrates’ Courts.

The conviction arose from a CANU operation on June 17, 2021, during which officers intercepted a minibus at Ann’s Grove Public Road, East Coast Demerara (ECD), and arrested a suspect with the illicit drugs. Robertson was later arrested on June 28, 2021, in connection with the bust.