Andrew Morgan jailed for 4 years over cocaine found in his home

…says he was “set up by someone”

A 53-year-old pilot, Michael Andrew Morgan, has been sentenced to four years in prison after being convicted of trafficking seven pounds of cocaine at his residence at Ixora Avenue, Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD)
Morgan had the custodial sentence along with a fine of $4,917,000 — three times the street value of the narcotic — imposed on him by Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts on Friday.
At Morgan’s sentencing hearing on Friday, a Probation Officer told the court that during an interview with Morgan, the convict had maintained his innocence, had stated that the drugs were not found at his home, and that he had been “set up” by someone. It is unclear whether he had disclosed that person’s name to the Probation Officer, but a name was not disclosed in court.
One of Morgan’s daughters have told the Probation Officer that, due to his prolonged incarceration, she had been forced to put her studies and career on hold. Further, she shared that she fears for her father’s life, because he suffers from long-term COVID-19 syndrome as well as kidney and liver problems. It was noted in the probation report that Morgan is being kept on lockdown while in prison, causing him to suffer blackouts.
During a meeting with the Probation Officer, prison officials intimated that Morgan is a peaceful, compliant, and cooperative inmate, who is always interested in educational activities. Prison officials have made no mention of Morgan suffering from any sickness.
According to the probation report, Morgan completed his secondary education at Queen’s College, and has a degree in aeronautical science from a United States university. He is also a certified pilot. Prior to his incarceration, he was an auto dealer.
For his part, Morgan’s Attorney-at-Law, Glen Hanoman, has requested that the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) return the driver’s licence of Morgan’s daughter, along with the passport and identification card that were seized during the search on Morgan’s premises. “They have nothing to do with the case,” counsel has argued.
In reply, the CANU Prosecutor, Attorney-at-Law Thalia Thompson, assured that there would be no difficulty in returning the woman’s property.
Magistrate Scarce, in his sentencing remarks, pointed out that Hanoman had asked the court to explore the possibility of imposing the minimum sentence on his client, which is three years.
But, in denying that request, the Magistrate noted that no special reasons were advanced for the court to consider doing such. In passing sentence, he said, consideration was taken of a number of factors, among which were the commercial quantity of the cocaine involved and the serious nature and prevalence of the offence.
According to the Magistrate, the trafficking of illicit drugs is a scourge on society, and thus a message needs to be sent to deter persons who might be inclined to commit such crimes. He, however, expressed concern that Morgan will not get the kind of rehabilitation needed, since he is on lockdown. In the end, Morgan was imprisoned and fined.
The offender was given full credit for time spent in pretrial custody. He had made his initial court appearance on June 29, 2022, and was remanded to prison. He was never admitted to bail. Bail applications made on his behalf before Magistrate Scarce and High Court Judge Gino Persaud were all denied.
It was reported that on the day in question, June 27, 2022, CANU officers acting on intelligence conducted a narcotics operation at Morgan’s home, thus resulting in the discovery of a quantity of cocaine, 27 rounds of 9mm ammunition, one .32 Taurus firearm, along with one magazine and 25 matching rounds of .32 ammunition. Morgan was arrested, and escorted to CANU Headquarters along with the firearm, ammunition, and cocaine. He was later charged.
Michael Andrew Morgan and his brother Peter Morgan have been under the CANU radar for more than two decades. In fact, Peter Morgan was deported from the United States back in 2015 after serving his time in prison on trafficking in narcotics charges. He was arrested for conspiring to import, possess and distribute five kilograms of cocaine between December 2001 and August 2003 in the US. (G1)