Two taxi drivers, who were recently nabbed by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) with 237 pounds of cocaine in several five-gallon bottles of pepper sauce, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan Monday at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.
Ramaeo Chanrabhan known as Chan, 43, of Oronoque Street, Georgetown and Andrew Yong, 35, of Section ‘C’ Diamond Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara (EBD), denied that on April 26, 2019, at Camex Cargo shed, Timehri, EBD they trafficked 107.6 kilogrammes of cocaine worth G$75.3M
Chanrabhan was represented by Attorney-at-law Ganesh Hira while Yong was represented by Attorney Siand Dhurjon, who both applied for bail on the ground that their clients had no knowledge or control of the illegal substance.
CANU Prosecutor, Kunyo Sandiford opposed bail and noted that Yong gave a confession statement and also identified the pepper sauce jars with the cocaine inside.
The CANU Prosecutor further noted that there is a telephone recording between the two men detailing that it would be impossible for the police and CANU to detect the cocaine in the pepper sauce.
The Chief Magistrate remanded the duo to prison until May 15, 2019.
EDITOR’s NOTE: This story initially stated that the cocaine was concealed in ‘bottles’ of Pepper Sauce, however, CANU later clarified that it was 5-gallon jars.