Glaude: I paid the price for my mistake

Glaude was sentenced to two years in jail in 2002 after pleading guilty to possessing one machine gun. He was released in 2004. Yesterday, a trim-looking Glaude turned witness for the US Government against Lance Small, who sat in court before Judge William Dimitrouleas.

Small, walking with a limp after his recent surgery, sat still listening to the evidence, pausing on occasions to write notes for his trial attorney.

Glaude, 49, said he knew Lance Small when they met in New York City in 1988. Glaude said that in February 2001, he returned to Trinidad for Carnival. He got several messages that Small wanted to see him.

"I went to see him at his home in Gonzales," Glaude told Assistant US Attorney Roger Powell. "He asked me to go and see a man called Steve Pena, whom I later discovered was undercover agent Steve Mc Kean. He asked me to go and collect some firearms for him. He said I was to collect 60 AK-47 rifles, and some small ones with silencers. He asked me to collect the guns and store them for future sale. He asked me to send four to Trinidad."

Glaude said that on May 29, 2001, he met Mc Kean at Hooters Restaurant. Mc Kean told him that he had the guns and silencers and they arranged to meet the following day.

"I knew it was something wrong and illegal. I paid the price for that mistake."

The following day, Glaude said he went to take delivery of the weapons when he was arrested. He then agreed to cooperate. He called Small in Trinidad. That conversation was recorded and the tape was played for the jury yesterday.

Glaude said he used the term "posters" and "fliers" because he knew what he was doing was illegal. He admitted knowing Salim (Rasheed) whom he met through Small years before.

Glaude said he pleaded guilty to the offence of possession and signed a plea agreement. He said he came to court freely to give evidence. "I did that because what was done to me by Lance Small, was sending me to the police, and spoiling my whole life."

Glaude said Small never told him that Mc Kean was a policeman, although Salim had told Small that about a year before.

Glaude received 24 months in prison. He was not promised anything for attending court yesterday.

Under-cross-examination by trial attorney Joseph Gibson, Glaude said he became a Muslim in 1982 in Queens, New York. He then became a Baptist in 1992. He denied he was a member of the Jamaat, although he attended juma on a few occasions.

Glaude said this was the first time he had gone to assist Small in acquiring guns.

GIBSON: Do you know of his past transactions?

GLAUDE: No.

GIBSON: Do you know that Small had a grocery store?

GLAUDE: No, I never went there.

GIBSON: Did you know that Small was shot?

GLAUDE: Yes, it was all over the news. I did not hear that he was shot in a robbery at his store.

GIBSON: Have you possessed AK-47 weapons before?

GLAUDE: No. I take a lot of medication. I was not selling guns. Mr Small told me it was a money making venture, I was strictly there for the money. I was minding my own business when I got a call from Lance Small. When I went down for Borough Day celebrations, he reminded me to call the guy for the guns.

I never knew that Lance Small had a large amount of guns.