3 drivers fined $660,000, 2 on bail for drunk driving, other offences

Five people were taken before the Anna Regina Magistrate’s Court on charges related to driving under the influence of alcohol, with three of them pleading guilty and receiving fines.
Hire-car driver Ryan Bahadur, 28, of Paradise, Essequibo Coast, was charged with driving while his breath alcohol level exceeded the prescribed limit. The offence allegedly occurred on August 2, 2026, at Lima Public Road, Essequibo Coast.
The charge was brought under Section 39A (1) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02, as amended by the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Amendment Act 17 of 2022.
When the matter was heard on August 12 before Magistrate Ravindra Mohabir, Bahadur pleaded guilty. He was fined $200,000, with an alternative of three months’ imprisonment.
Another hire-car driver, Michael Persaud, 30, of Taymouth Manor, Essequibo Coast, was charged with a similar offence stemming from an incident on August 3 at Capoey Public Road.

Persaud appeared before Magistrate Mohabir on August 13 and pleaded not guilty. He was granted bail in the sum of $200,000, and the matter was adjourned to February 16, 2027, for trial.
Meanwhile, Ravindra Ramotar, 39, a labourer of Capoey, Essequibo Coast, faced three charges arising from an incident on August 8, at Perth Public Road.
Ramotar was charged with driving while his breath alcohol level exceeded the prescribed limit, driving an unlicensed vehicle and breach of insurance.
He appeared in court on August 17 and pleaded guilty to all three charges. He was fined $200,000 for driving with an excessive breath alcohol level, with six months’ imprisonment as the alternative.
He was also fined $30,000 for driving an unlicensed vehicle and another $30,000 for breach of insurance, with three months’ imprisonment as the alternative for each offence.

On August 18, Ramkarran Ramnandan, 29, a barber of Lot 26 Perseverance Estate, Essequibo Coast, appeared before Magistrate Mohabir on a charge of refusing to provide a breath specimen for a breath alcohol test.
The charge stemmed from an incident on August 3 at Anna Regina Public Road and was laid under Section 39B (5) of the Motor Vehicle and Road Traffic Act, Chapter 51:02.
Ramnandan pleaded not guilty and was granted $200,000 bail. The matter was adjourned to March 2, 2027, for trial.
Also on August 18, Rakesh Ramphaul, 30, a fisherman of Crane, West Bank Demerara, appeared before Magistrate Mohabir charged with driving while his breath alcohol level exceeded the prescribed limit.
The offence allegedly occurred on August 17 at New Road Public Road, Essequibo Coast.
Ramphaul pleaded guilty and was fined $200,000, with six months’ imprisonment as the alternative.