A man who confessed to trafficking a quantity of cocaine was jailed for four years and fined $2.3 million on a drug trafficking charge.
Akeem Lashley, 26, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Thursday.
He admitted to having 1.5 kilograms of cocaine in his possession on August 8 at Norton Street, Georgetown for the purpose of trafficking. The drug has an estimated street value of GY$1.5M.
His co-accused, 43-year-old Andre Clarke, who is paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair, pleaded not guilty to the charge and was released on $150,000 bail and he will return to court on September 5.
Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Attorney-at-Law Thalia Thompson related that Lashley and Clarke were arrested after ranks searched Clarke’s home and found four parcels of cocaine.
Lashley pleaded guilty, stating: “Everything is me own…I does do drugs.”
During the raid, three other individuals were arrested. They are Police Sergeant Dion Bascom, 33; 54-year-old Rodwell George; and Serena Mentus, 19. They were arrested at Clarke’s home.
CANU has stated that Clarke is no stranger to law enforcement officers. In 2011, he was arrested on a drug trafficking charge after 590 grammes of cocaine was found buried in his yard.
Since then, he has been a person of interest to the Customs Anti Narcotic Unit, and several investigations into his operations have led to his recent arrest.
