MORE evidence was taken from crewmembers yesterday when the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the charges that followed the Army flagship drug bust continued before Magistrate Maxwell Edwards.
One of the witnesses was Eon Austin, a Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard rating who had started his testimony at the previous hearing.
He was followed by Godfrey Hackett, another Coast Guard member who began his evidence-in-chief.
The deponents were led by State Counsel Paula Gilford and Simone Bullen from the chambers of the Director of Public Prosecutions Office (DPP), in the absence of Defence Counsel Vic Puran who caused a two-hour delay before the start.
Both Austin and Hackett, who were on the 'GDFS Essequibo' when the narcotic was found on board after the naval vessel docked in Barbados to participate in the Caribbean regional 'Exercise Tradewinds', are to resume their oath at the continuation of the pre-trial proceedings on November 11.
On that occasion, they will be cross-examined by Puran after Hackett concludes his evidence-in-chief.
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 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).