Allicock pleads guilty, jailed for four years
By Charlene Stuart
The car-chase cocaine trial took a dramatic turn yesterday when Trenton Allicock, one of the three men busted, claimed ownership of all the drugs and was sentenced to four years imprisonment. The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) had charged him, Albert Vaughn, 47, both of Lot 2 Joseph Pollydore Street, Lodge, and Morris Darr, 26, of Lot 3 McDoom, East Bank Demerara, with trafficking in 4.7508 grammes of cocaine following a car-chase through several city streets on August 11, in which gunfire was exchanged. The seemingly composed convict who laughed and smiled occasionally during his unsworn statement from the docks, described Vaughn as his friend before giving what his lawyer termed "the truth" of what took place on the day of the bust. According to 41-year-old Allicock, he was standing in the vicinity of Houston, East Bank Demerara, with his bag of cocaine when he noticed Vaughn approaching in his pathfinder. He said he stopped him, asked for a drop and with Vaughn's consent he boarded the vehicle. Insisting that his co-defendant had no knowledge of the contents of his bag, he said while they were in the vicinity of Savage Street, Georgetown, a gunshot shattered Vaughn's windscreen. This prompted them to stop the vehicle, he claimed. However, when they attempted to disembark CANU officers surrounded them and started questioning him about his bag. He said he told them it was his and that it contained the banned substance. Recalling his confession for Chief Magistrate, Paul Fung-A-Fat, Allicock said "the drugs is my drugs. Vaughn never knew about drugs. Myself and Vaughn never purchased anything." At this point, defence lawyer, Vic Puran, intervened and made a plea to lessen the punishment that was about to befall his client. He informed the court that it was upon his advice that Allicock went through with the trial for he had every intention of confessing to the offence from the beginning. All this time, Allicock stood in the docks shifting from one leg to the other as if bracing himself for the worst. As he was led away with a lop-sided grin on his face, there was some muttering between the other two defendants. Leading up to this declaration, was Vaughn's sworn testimony which basically coincided with Allicock's claims. He said that the money he had used to purchase the Pathfinder he was in on the day of the bust, was given to him by his son. He recalled being stopped by Allicock as he was on his way home from Republic Park. He said that during his journey no one attempted to stop him nor did he see any CANU officer. He swore that he only became aware that CANU officers were behind him when a gunshot shattered his vehicle's windscreen about 70 feet from Mandela Avenue. He said this prompted him to stop but just as he was about to get out of the vehicle, the officers abducted him and Allicock. Denying that he made any statements with regard to the ownership of the cocaine, he admitted that CANU officers had found US$9,680 and $20,000 on him, adding that the money was to pay for his wife's medical expenses in Trinidad. Labelling the statement made by CANU lies, the drug accused said he did not see Darr that day. The trial continues on Monday.
 Follow the goings-on in Guyana
|