Deneve Ramzan, who was charged in 2023 with trafficking cocaine and cannabis following the discovery of narcotics at a Mabaruma resort, was on Thursday freed of both charges after Principal Magistrate Clive Nurse dismissed the cases against her.
Ramzan had been accused of having 382 grams of cannabis and 20 grams of cocaine in her possession for the purpose of trafficking at Kumaka Waterfront, North West District, on August 4, 2023.
She was represented by Attorney-at-Law Bernard Da Silva, who had initially made a no-case submission on her behalf. That submission was overruled, and Ramsan subsequently gave evidence in her defence.
Da Silva then made further submissions, dated May 7, 2026, contending that the prosecution had failed to prove beyond a reasonable doubt that Ramzan had either actual or constructive possession of the narcotics.
Principal Magistrate Nurse ruled in favour of the defence on Thursday and dismissed both charges.
Among the issues raised by Da Silva was a discrepancy between the substance identified in one of the charges and that reportedly identified by the analyst.
While Ramzan was charged with possessing 20 grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, the defence contended that the analyst’s certificate identified the whitish substance as ecstasy rather than cocaine.
Da Silva argued that the substances were distinct and that no evidence had been presented by the prosecution to explain the discrepancy.
The attorney also challenged the prosecution’s case on the question of possession, arguing that Ramzan did not have exclusive access to the areas where the narcotics were allegedly found.
According to the defence, Ramzan was the manager of the premises at the time, but her ex-boyfriend, Roberto Miggins, her brother, identified as Peters, and other persons also had access to areas of the resort.
Ramzan testified that she was at Lisa’s Bar in the Mabaruma area when police were at the resort and was subsequently collected from that location by a police sergeant and taken to the A&D Resort.
According to the defence submissions, one of the substances was allegedly found hidden behind a sink in the washroom of a bedroom which Ramzan shared with Miggins and to which other persons also had access.
The cannabis, meanwhile, was allegedly discovered in a lobby area which, the defence contended, was accessible to staff, visitors and guests.
Da Silva argued that those circumstances did not establish that Ramzan knew of the presence of the narcotics or exercised control over them.
His submissions also identified what the defence considered deficiencies and inconsistencies in the prosecution’s evidence, including the absence of photographic or video evidence showing where the narcotics were found, a lack of evidence concerning the search and an alleged failure to establish the chain of custody from the hotel to the police station.
The defence also pointed to inconsistencies in the amount of cannabis referred to by police witnesses and what it said was an absence of evidence concerning the weighing and processing of the narcotics in Ramzan’s presence.
Da Silva further raised the circumstances surrounding the arrest and subsequent release of Miggins.
He maintained that the prosecution had failed to establish beyond a reasonable doubt that Ramzan was in actual or constructive possession of either quantity of narcotics.
After a case spanning just over three years, Principal Magistrate Nurse on Thursday dismissed both trafficking charges against Ramzan.
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