Father jailed, son remanded on cocaine trafficking charges

Last Updated on Monday, 23 June 2014, 20:52 by GxMedia

Darren Owen Harris Snr (left) and his 19-year old son, Darren Harris.

A father, who pleaded guilty to a cocaine-trafficking charge and sought to take the rap for his son charged with a similar offence, was Monday jailed and fined.

He was jailed and his son pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison.

They were due to leave for the United States (US) last week when they were held at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

Forty-one year old Darren Owen Harris pleaded guilty to being in possession of 1.454 kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking on June 20 at the CJIA. He told the court that “Me and meh son get hold but me son ain’t know anythng about the thing. I put it in deh.”

Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry fined Harris GUY$30,000 and sentenced him to three years imprisonment after considering the seriousness of the offence, amount of the narcotic and the fact that he pleaded guilty.

Police Prosecutor Bharrat Mangru said Harris of D’Urban Street, Lodge, said after Harri, of D’Urban Street, Lodge was seen acting suspiciously a search was conducted by an anti-narcotics policeman who observed that the handle was tampered with. Further examination revealed that the cocaine was stashed in the handle.

His son, 19-year old Darren Harris of 27 D’Urban Street, Lodge pleaded not guilty to being in possession of 1.176 kilogrammes of cocaine at the CJIA on June 20.

Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) prosecutor, Oswald Massiah said the cocaine was concealed in the beaded handles of two ladies handbag. Massiah said the cocaine was in silver-like paper and inserted into he nutmeg-shaped beads.

Massiah said the younger Harris told investigators that someone gave him the bag to take to the US where another person was expected to uplift it from him. The CANU prosecutor said the defendant also gave conflicting information about the address of the person who gave him the bags to take to the US.

The elder Harris was not represented by a lawyer but his son’s lawyer is George Thomas.