Berbice man busted with cocaine in fried rice remanded to prison
A New York-bound passenger, Esmond Jermaine Anderson, who was busted at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with a large quantity of cocaine hidden in a bowl of fried rice, was remanded to prison when he appeared at the Diamond Magistrates’ Court.
Cocaine mule: Esmond Jermaine Anderson
Anderson pleaded not guilty to the charge when it was read to him by Magistrate Judy Latchman.
The 28-year-old man of Number Five Village, West Coast Berbice (WCB), was intercepted by the ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), who searched his luggage and unearthed the narcotic stashed away in his suitcase.
The fried rice with the cocaine that was intercepted at CJIA
He was a passenger on an outgoing Jet Blue Airways Flight on Friday last destined for the John F Kennedy (JFK) Airport in New York City.
The cocaine found weighed 2.996 kg (6.6 pounds) and carries a street value of some $17.2 million. He will make his next court appearance on March 8, 2022.
