[www.inewsguyana.com] – A 36 – year – old housewife of Lot 6 Number 5 Village, West Coast Berbice, was today remanded to prison by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry on a narcotics charge.
Nichelle Johnson pleaded not guilty to the charge, which alleged on Thursday, March 12 at Lot 6 Number 5 Village, West Coast Berbice; she had in her possession 16.571 kilogrammes of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking.
The mother of two was represented by Attorney-at-Law, James Bond who applied for bail, stating that his client has a fix place of abode.
Bond provided special reasons on the grounds that the police found the bag in a kitchen area of his client’s premises, which is occupied by his client and other family members. Bond said that Johnson’s door is secured by CCTV surveillance camera and on reviewing the footage, police would have seen someone brought the bag and put in the kitchen.
According to Bond, a stranger stashed off the haversack in the kitchen and when the police made checks they found it, as he noted that his client never opened the bag.
The Lawyer said that the prosecution cannot prove that his client had any knowledge of what was in the bag. Meanwhile, Police Prosecutor Bharat Mangru told the Court that Johnson told the police ranks that the bag was given to her by someone and that she claimed she had knowledge of the bag which belongs to her.
Bail was refused and the matter was transferred to the Fort Wellington Magistrate’s Court for March 19.
