A Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Staff Sergeant who was jointly charged after more than 150 pounds of marijuana which was allegedly discovered in a military vehicle on the East Bank of Demerara has been acquitted after a magistrate ruled that the prosecution failed to prove the case against him.
Staff Sergeant Adisa Higgins was on Monday afternoon found not guilty and discharged by Magistrate Wanda Fortune at the Friendship Magistrate’s Court.
His co-defendant, Sergeant Colvis Sam, also a GDF rank, was however, found guilty of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
The court deferred sentencing in Sam’s case to May 15, pending the presentation of the street value of the narcotics.
Attorney-at-law Bernard Da Silva represented Higgins and had mounted a no-case submission, arguing that prosecutors failed to establish that the staff sergeant exercised either knowledge of or control over the narcotics allegedly found inside the military vehicle.
The matter stemmed from an intelligence-led operation carried out during the early hours of July 18, 2024, by ranks attached to Special Branch and Regional Division 4 ‘B’.
According to reports presented during the trial, police intercepted GDF vehicle, DFB 1786 along the Coverden Public Road, East Bank Demerara.
The military vehicle was reportedly being driven by Sam, while Higgins was seated as the lone passenger.
During a search of the vehicle, police discovered 22 bulky multi-coloured bags containing parcels tightly wrapped in transparent plastic. The parcels contained leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis.
The suspected narcotics were later weighed and amounted to approximately 154 pounds.
Both soldiers, who were stationed at Camp Ayanganna Headquarters at the time, were arrested and subsequently charged jointly with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking under Section 5(1)(a)(i) of the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances Control Act.
According to the submissions filed by Da Silva, there was no evidence showing that Higgins handled the bags or had any knowledge of their contents. The defence further contended that Higgins joined the vehicle while it was already en route and that the bags were already inside at the time.
The submissions also argued that Sam, as the driver and custodian of the military vehicle, exercised complete control over both the vehicle and its contents.
Following consideration of the submissions and evidence presented during the trial, Magistrate Fortune ruled in favour of Higgins and dismissed the charge against him. However, the magistrate found that sufficient evidence existed against Sam and convicted him of the trafficking offence. Following the initial arrests in 2024, the Guyana Defence Force had launched an internal investigation into the incident.
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