THE witness whose absence last Monday stalled the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the charges that followed the Army flagship drug bust concluded his testimony yesterday.
Seko Dickinson, an able rating in the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard, gave evidence-in-chief on October 20 but did not attend Court October 27.
He was cross-examined yesterday by Defence Counsel Vic Puran and another witness, Eon Austin, also a member of the Coast Guard began testifying.
Austin was led by State Counsel Paula Gilford from the chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions Office (DPP) before the pre-trial proceedings were adjourned, by Magistrate Maxwell Edwards, to Tuesday, November 4.
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 traffick in 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 prohibited drug was discovered aboard the naval vessel 'GDFS Essequibo' when it docked in Barbados to participate in the Caribbean regional 'Exercise Tradewinds'.
Both ex-soldiers, who remain remanded prisoners, were dishonourably discharged from the GDF after an internal probe and handed over to Police for the criminal investigation.
They were originally charged summarily but, last August 12, the DPP instituted the present charges and the others were put down sine die (indefinitely).