Lethem man remanded on drug trafficking charge

One day after he was allegedly caught trafficking drugs in a Lethem-bound minibus, Clive Thornhill of Tabatinga, Lethem, Region Nine (Upper Takutu – Upper Essequibo), was on Wednesday remanded to prison after being charged with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.

The 48-year-old fisherman appeared before Magistrate Omadatt Chandan at the Lethem Magistrate’s Court, where the charge was read to him. He pleaded not guilty. The case has been adjourned to October 2.
Police reported that Thornhill was arrested on Tuesday, following a routine stop-and-search exercise. At about 09:30h, ranks intercepted minibus BVV 887, which was travelling from Georgetown to Lethem. Thornhill, who was a passenger, was found with 25.6 pounds of suspected narcotics.
According to the police, a search of Thornhill’s belongings uncovered 12 bulky parcels containing leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis, along with two smaller bags with 40 pills suspected to be ecstasy. A red five-gallon bucket located in the minibus rack also contained five additional parcels of suspected cannabis.
During the search, ranks also found cash totalling GY$703,180, 1798 Brazilian Reais, 3260 Cuban dollars, and US$1137 in Thornhill’s possession. Police said he admitted ownership of the items.
The driver of the minibus, a 44-year-old of South Ruimveldt, Georgetown, and two Brazilian nationals who were also passengers were searched, but no illegal items were found on them.