Cocaine in mats: Two women remanded to prison

Two women were on Tuesday remanded to prison for attempting to traffic five mats, laced with cocaine that has a street value of $5.6 million.

Charged are Malika Scott, 32, of Grove, East Bank Demerara and Akata Makeba Garnett, 22 of ‘C’ Field Sophia squatting area.

Scott appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

She denied that on March 5, 2022, at Georgetown, she trafficked 5.274 kilograms of cocaine. Scott was represented by attorney-at-law Dexter Todd, who made an application for reasonable bail.

The court prosecutor, however, objected and cited the nature, gravity and penalty attached to the charge.

The Chief Magistrate remanded Scott to prison until April 5, 2022.

Meanwhile, Garnett was arraigned at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court before Magistrate Rushelle Liverpool; she pleaded not guilty to the same charge and was remanded to prison until March 31, 2022.

The Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) has claimed that Garnett was arrested at the Eugene F. Correia International Airport, Ogle, East Coast Demerara.

Garnett was nabbed by CANU as she was about to board a flight destined for Barbados. According to CANU, officers found five mats laced with suspected cocaine during a secondary search of her luggage; it weighed almost 12 pounds.  The suspected cocaine has a street value of $5.6 million.

Acting on information received, CANU ranks went to a Georgetown location and arrested Scott. It is alleged that Scott provided Garnett with the cocaine-laced mats.