ONE of the men charged after the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) flagship drug bust, Wayne Inniss was shot by Police yesterday after a failed escape bid from Georgetown Magistrates’ Court compound.
He was admitted to Georgetown Public Hospital suffering two gunshot wounds.
Inniss was awaiting the continuation of the preliminary inquiry (PI) into the drug charge against him and another accused when he fled from custody but was pursued into America Street where he was wounded by the Police gunfire.
Inniss, of Lot 130 Lamaha Springs, Georgetown, is charged with conspiracy to traffick in 60 kilogrammes 681 grammes of cannabis (marijuana) between May 1 and 11, 2003 and trafficking in the same quantity by exporting it.
Shandy Stephens, of Lot 118 Dacama Circle, Mackenzie, Linden, is also facing the joint charge as a result of the drug find on the ‘GDFS Esssequibo’.
Both accused are ex-soldiers who were dishonourably discharged from the Army after the narcotic was found aboard the naval vessel when it docked in Barbados last year May to participate in the Caribbean regional ‘Exercise Tradewinds’.
Inniss and Stephens were originally charged summarily but on August 12, 2003, the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) substituted the present charges and the others were put down sine die (indefinitely).
The PI is to continue next Tuesday before Magistrate Maxwell Edwards.