Botched drug smuggling lands artist in jail

– 61-yr-old attempted to smuggle ganja into Camp St prison

Craftsman Ishwar Persaud of Leopold Street, Georgetown was on Monday arraigned before Georgetown Magistrate Judy Latchman on a charge alleging that, on August 31, 2017, he attempted to smuggle into the Camp Street Penitentiary 20 grams of marijuana reportedly concealed in the soles of a pair of boots.
Unrepresented by legal counsel, the 61-year-old pleaded not guilty to the offence of trafficking in narcotics, and explained that his neighbour had asked him to take the footwear to a remand prisoner named Ralph Franklin.
Police allege that on the day of the incident, the elderly man had visited the prison, and searches conducted on his person revealed the narcotics hidden in the said footwear. He was thereafter escorted to the Alberttown Police Station (Georgetown), where the leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be marijuana were weighed in his presence. He was subsequently charged with the present offence.
Persaud was not placed on bail, and will remain incarcerated until September 18, 2017, when the matter will be called again at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts for a pre-emptory hearing. (Paula Gomes)