Convicted drug lord Barry Dataram, currently serving a seven-year jail sentence for cocaine possession, among other offences, and his reputed wife Anjanie Boodnarine, are set to face trial for illegal ammunition possession on January 13, 2017.
Barry Dataram
Dataram and Boodnarine were charged earlier this year for having 180 rounds of .223 ammunition in their possession on April 16, at Lot 661 Fourth Avenue, Block ‘X’ Diamond, East Bank Demerara, without being the holders of a firearm licence.
Dataram, 38, formerly of Patentia Housing Scheme, West Bank Demerara, and Boodnarine, 21, of 79 Patentia Housing Scheme, had pleaded not guilty to the charges. However, the matter was stood down to facilitate a trial in the drug trafficking case, for which Dataram, his reputed wife, and two friends were jointly charged.
Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) prosecutor Konyo Sandiford made it known to the court that she is ready to proceed with the trial in the ammunition matter. She stated that the trial will feature five witnesses.
A date was fixed by for commencement of trial by City Magistrate Judy Latchman. According to reports, the illegal ammunition was discovered in a house at the address stated in the charge during a search by CANU ranks. It was during that same search that some of the cocaine was unearthed stuffed in frozen fish, while the remainder was found to be bricks of coke.
Last month, Dataram and his wife were charged with attempting to defeat the administration of justice; forging Republic of Guyana Passports, and departing Guyana without presenting themselves to immigration officers.
Dataram pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to a total of two years and 24 months’ jail by Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. However, Boodnarine denied the allegations but remains on remand after the police prosecutor objected to bail, stating she is a flight risk.
It was reported that Boodnarine and Dataram fled to Suriname via the backtrack route while the drug trafficking trial was ongoing before Magistrate Judy Latchman.
They were apprehended by Surinamese authorities and handed over to police in Guyana. Investigations were launched and it was discovered that there were no records of Dataram and Boodnarine leaving Guyana at the Passport Office.
Dataram forged the passport by inserting a photograph of himself on the bio-data page with the name David Persaud; while Boodnarine is alleged to have done the same.
Investigations later revealed that both passports were stolen during a robbery.
