Hadfield Street duo remanded on cocaine trafficking charges

Two men from Hadfield Street were remanded on Wednesday after being charged with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
The defendants, 69-year-old Clarence Jones and 53-year-old Carlos Garraway, appeared at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts before Magistrate Fabayo Azore and pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The charge alleges that on Monday, September 15, at Lot 42 Hadfield Street, Georgetown, Jones and Garraway had in their possession 1.172 kilograms (kg) of cocaine with the intent to traffic.
A prosecutor representing the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) told the court that, acting on information, officers went to the defendants’ residence at Lot 42, Hadfield Street. Upon making contact, the officers informed Jones and Garraway of the allegations and conducted a search in their presence.

During the search, a gift bag was discovered in the living room containing a black plastic bag. Inside the bag, officers found a brick-like parcel with a powdery substance suspected to be cocaine.
The prosecutor added that a preliminary field test confirmed the substance was a narcotic. Both defendants were cautioned, arrested, and escorted to CANU headquarters along with the suspected drugs. At CANU, the narcotics were weighed, samples were taken, sealed, and lodged for further investigation, which led to the formal charges.
The prosecutor objected to bail, stating that no special reasons exist to justify release, noting that both defendants reside at the location where the narcotics were found.
During the hearing, Jones claimed that the entire operation was a setup by a CANU operative and alleged that the gift bag had been planted in his home.
Magistrate Azore denied bail, citing the lack of special reasons, and adjourned the matter to October 8.