THE trial of the two ex-soldiers who were charged in connection with the discovery of 60 kilogrammes, 681 grammes of cannabis aboard the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) flagship ‘GDFS Essequibo’ in May, was further postponed yesterday.
However, defence lawyer Mr Vic Puran made preliminary arguments on behalf of his clients Wayne Inniss and Shandy Stephens, of Lot 130 Lamaha Springs, Georgetown and Lot 118 Dacama Circle, Mackenzie, Linden, respectively.
Inniss and Stephens are jointly charged with conspiracy to traffic in cannabis (marijuana) between May 1 and May 11 of this year.
Inniss is also facing a separate charge of trafficking in the same amount of marijuana by exporting it.
Ms Simone Bullen and Ms Paula Gilford, who are prosecuting, requested an adjournment to reply to the arguments made by Puran. The trial, which has been postponed at least five times already as a result of requests for more time by the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), is now scheduled for Friday, August 29.
At the last hearing on Tuesday, August 12, the DPP instituted two new indictable charges against the ex-soldiers.
On the same day (Tuesday, August 12), Inniss and Stephens also appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Juliet Holder Allen to answer additional charges of conspiracy to trafficking in narcotics and trafficking in narcotics.
The two who had pleaded ‘not guilty’ from the inception, are no longer required to plead since the charges are to be heard indictably.
Defence counsel Puran made yet another bail application after the adjournment, stating that the offence is bailable. It was, however, refused by Magistrate Maxwell Edwards, who promised to consider bail at the next hearing.
The remanded prisoners, who were dishonourably discharged from the Army, had also appeared before Principal Magistrate Cecil Sullivan on July 16 to answer the same charges and were further remanded to prison.