Duo remanded for cocaine found in salted fish

Two men were on Thursday remanded to prison for attempting to smuggle over seven pounds of cocaine to Miami, USA, concealed in a shipment of salted fish.

Navindra Sarwan called ‘Tallman’, a 46-year-old shipper of First Field, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD); and Adrian David, 40, of Shell Road, Kitty, appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Diamond/Grove Magistrate’s Court on the East Bank of Demerara.

It is alleged that between March 7-8, 2021, between First Field, Cummings Lodge, East Coast Demerara (ECD) and Amerijet Cargo Shed, Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, the duo trafficked 3.304 kilograms of cocaine.

The Prosecutor of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), Konyo Sandiford told the court that some of the replicas of the salted fish were found at Sarwan’s house.  They both pleaded not guilty to the charge and were remanded to prison until April 15, 2021.

On March 8, CANU ranks at CJIA searched the shipment at Amerijet Cargo Shed when they discovered the cocaine concealed in salted fish at a cargo shed at the airport. The cocaine was found wrapped in pencil-shaped parcels which were hidden in the bones of the salted fish.

In 2013, David was sentenced to four years in jail and was fined $30,000 for smuggling cocaine in straws at the CJIA cargo shed.  Meanwhile, Sarwan along with several others were nabbed in 2018 by CANU after cocaine was found strapped under a vehicle at the CAMEX Bond in the CJIA’s compound.

At the time, Sarwan was scheduled to ship ground provision and pumpkins on a cargo flight that was destined for Canada. He was subsequently released by CANU due to insufficient evidence.