Dataram gets additional 4 years, reputed wife released

self-confessed drug lord Barry Dataram was on Thursday jailed for four more years and fined ,000 after he changed a not-guilty plea on a possession of ammunition charge to guilty, while his reputed wife, Anjanie Boodnarine was freed.

Dataram, 58, of 13 Vriesland, West Bank Demerara, appeared before Magistrate Judy Latchman and changed his plea to guilty.

The charge stated that on April 16, 2015 at Diamond, East Bank Demerara (EBD), he was found to be in possession of 180 .233 rounds of ammunition without being the holder of a firearm licence.

As such, Magistrate Latchman ruled that Dataram would be jailed for 48 additional months, to run concurrently with his nine-year sentence.

However, Boodnarine, 21, of 79 Patentia Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara was freed of all charges.

In September of 2016, arrest warrants were issued for the drug lord and his reputed wife who had fled the country ahead of a court ruling.

However, after he disappeared, Magistrate Latchman found Dataram guilty in absentia for having 129.23kg of cocaine in his possession on April 16, 2015.

Boodnarine, along with Dataram’s friends Trevor Gouveia and Komal Charran, who were also before the court for the same offence, were all freed.

Dataram and Boodnarine were later apprehended in Suriname and escorted back to Guyana.

Upon their extradition, Dataram and Boodnarine appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, and Dataram admitted that between April 15, 2013 and October 15, at Camp Street, Georgetown, he conspired with other persons to forge a Republic of Guyana Passport, in favour of himself, to show that the document was issued by the Central Immigration and Passport Office.

He confessed that on September 20, at Springlands, Corentyne, Berbice, he departed Guyana without presenting himself to an immigration officer.

The Chief Magistrate sentenced Dataram to two years on the first charge and 12 months each on the second and third charges to run concurrently with his then five-year sentence.

Dataram had begged for leniency telling the court that he escaped because he did not believe that he was getting a fair trial.

Boodnarine was before the court charged with forgery and illegally leaving Guyana.