The charge against Yuonika Bovell was read by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan to the effect that on October 5, 2017, at Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) she was allegedly in possession of 1.662 kilograms of heroin for the purpose of trafficking.
Bovell appeared at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court in the company of her legal counsel, Siand Dhurjon, who sought to secure bail for the accused pending the outcome of trial.
According to the lawyer, the 19-year-old is a Canadian citizen who has been residing in Guyana for the past nine months with her reputed husband and parents in East La Penitence, Georgetown.
The court heard that despite being a Canadian citizen, the teen spent most of the last three years in Guyana working as a cashier in her mother’s grocery store after graduating high school.
Bovell voiced through her lawyer that she is oblivious of the charge and willing to lodge her passport or report to CANU on a weekly basis if necessary, during trial.
Special reasons advanced on the basis that the accused suffers from chronic asthma and trauma following the recent loss of a baby was rejected by the Magistrate McLennan and she was remanded to prison.
CANU Prosecutor Konyo Sandiford led the prosecution’s case.
Bovell will return to court on October 24, 2017.
