Husband, Wife and daughter among six charged with trafficking marijuana

Six persons were jointly slapped with the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when they appeared in the New Amsterdam Magistrates Court on Monday (July 10, 2017).

The six accused are 17-year-old Kathyann Sampson, 19-year-old Maryann Thomas and 47-year-old Ann Sampson, all of Smythfield New Amsterdam, along with 51-year-old Paula Hinds of Angoys Avenue, 56-year-old Ivory Bourne of Nicholay Street and Joel Thomas.

They all pleaded not guilty with the exception of Joel Thomas who pleaded guilty when the charge was read to them by Magistrate Alex Moore.

It is alleged that on Saturday, July 08, 2017, at Smythfield New Amsterdam, the six accused had seven and a half kilograms of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.

According to detectives, on Saturday, an intelligence -led operation in New Amsterdam, Berbice by ranks of the Guyana Police Force resulted in the arrest of six persons with seven and a half kilograms of cannabis.

Those in custody include a husband, his wife, their daughter and three other females. The suspected traffickers were caught packaging the illegal substance.

While their attorney successfully made an application for bail, the police prosecution in his argument for bail not to be granted to the five female accused disclosed that all of them were found in the upper flat of the house chipping and parcelling off the marijuana.

The prosecutor also disclosed that they are photo evidence that implicated the five females although the man accepted that the drugs are his.

After hearing the case, the magistrate placed Ann Sampson, Maryann Thomas and Katheann Sampson on $250,000 bail each while Ivory Bourne and Paula Hinds were granted $150,000 bail each.

They are all expected to return to court on August 11.