A 44-year-old Boat Captain who has been on the run for almost two years for smuggling drugs into Guyana was on Monday arraigned on a trafficking in narcotics charge when he appeared at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court.
Farook Baksh, called “Dive and Shoot’, of Mon Repos North, East Coast Demerara (ECD), appeared before Magistrate Rochelle Liverpool and denied the charge when it was read to him.
The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) stated that on July 14, 2018, Baksh attempted to smuggle a large quantity of drugs into the country on a vessel.
The court heard that on the day in question, ranks intercepted the fishing vessel that Baksh was in at Mon Repos.
During a search, some 82 parcels of cocaine weighing 91.132 kilograms, equivalent to 201 pounds, and 98 parcels of cannabis weighing 56.008 kg, equivalent to 123 lbs, were unearthed.
During the operation, Baksh managed to escape. However, ranks were able to arrest his accomplice, 51-year-old Azim Baksh, called “Bato”, a furniture maker, of Good Hope, ECD.
“Bato” was later sentenced to five years in prison and fined $221 million after he found guilty of trafficking cocaine and marijuana.
CANU Prosecutor Narissa Leander objected to bail given that Baksh was a flight risk and more importantly, he was only apprehended a few days ago after being on the run for years.
Magistrate Liverpool, after listening to the prosecution’s submission, remanded Baksh to prison. He will make his next court appearance on July 8, 2020.
