Alleged cocaine-in-boulanger exporter charged

Last Updated on Saturday, 26 December 2015, 21:00 by GxMedia

A woman on Monday appeared in court in connection with the discovery of a large quantity of cocaine that was stuffed in Boulanger that was about to leave for Canada.

37-year old Badmattie Persaud of 46 Grass Field, Lusignan, East Coast Demerara pleaded not guilty when she appeared before Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

She was charged with being in possession of 12.330 kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Persaud, a mother of three, was refused bail and remanded to prison until her next court appearance on December 11 at Providence Magistrates Court, East Bank Demerara.

The court was told that she usually ships vegetables to Canada through a shipper.

The Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) had initially held the shipper but he was later released without charge during the course of the investigation.

The boulanger, pumpkin and other vegetables were due to leave on a Caribbean Airlines flight to Toronto, Canada on November 30 when the bust was made.

CANU Prosecutor, Oswald Massiah told the court that the exporter asked him to collect a quantity of produce from Bourda Market and that she would meet him at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with the remainder of the produce including boulangers.

At the airport, the items were mixed. When CANU agents began conducting a 100 percent check, the stem from the first boulanger fell off and it was realised that the vegetable was hollowed and replaced with a plastic bag containing the suspected narcotic. Further checks revealed that each boulanger contained the substance, said Massiah.

The Prosecutor said by that time, Persaud had already paid shipping fees. She was arrested five days after a wanted bulleting was issued for her arrest.