Man, 27, remanded over Herstelling drug bust

Malik Forde of Block V Herstelling, East Bank Demerara (EBD) was on Thursday remanded to prison after being arraigned before Principal Magistrate Judy Latchman at the Diamond/ Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts on a drug trafficking charge.
Represented by lawyer Bernard DaSilva, the 27-year-old pleaded not guilty to a charge which stated that, on June 5, he had 9.5 pounds of marijuana in his possession for the purpose of trafficking. The case has been adjourned to July 5.
The drug bust was made during an operation conducted by ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Monday last. CANU, in a release, reported that on the day in question, officers conducted an operation on Forde’s premises, during which three parcels of cannabis were unearthed. A further search conducted on the outer perimeter of the property led to the discovery of a 12-gauge shotgun.
At the time of the exercise, Forde and two other persons were at home, and they were all arrested and taken to CANU Headquarters, along with the firearm and ganja. The illegal drug has a street value of $1.6 million.