Two statements admitted in GDF flagship bust case
Guyana Chronicle
September 23, 2003
POLICE Detective Inspector Norris Riddle, whose testimony was interrupted last week by an early adjournment, concluded his evidence yesterday when the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the charges that followed the Army flagship drug bust continued before Magistrate Maxwell Edwards.
Through the witness, who is attached to the Narcotics Branch of Criminal Investigations Department (CID), the Prosecution, being conducted by State Counsel Simone Bullen and Paula Gilford from the Chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP), tendered two statements attributed to the two accused.
Defence Counsel Vic Puran had objected to the tendering but his objection was overruled and the attestations were admitted before the pre-trial proceedings were adjourned to Friday, September 26.
In the case, Wayne Inniss, of Lot 130 Lamaha Springs, Georgetown and Shandy Stephens, of Lot 118 Dacama Circle, Mackenzie, Linden, are jointly charged with conspiracy to traffic 60 kilogrammes 681 grammes of cannabis (marijuana) between May 1 and 11, this year.
Inniss alone faces a separate charge of trafficking the same amount of marijuana by exporting it.
The narcotic was discovered aboard ‘GDFS Essequibo’ when the naval vessel docked in Barbados to participate in the Caribbean regional ‘Exercise Tradewinds’ in May.
Both Inniss and Stephens, who remain remanded prisoners, were dishonourably discharged from the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) after an internal investigation and then handed over to Police for the criminal probe.
The ex-soldiers were, originally, on a summary charge but, last August 12, the DPP instituted the fresh charges and the others were put down sine die (indefinitely).
