UK man denied bail

A 45-YEAR-OLD man from the United Kingdom was arrested on Thursday in El Socorro, mere hours before he was due to depart Trinidad for London.

Paul Anthony Samuels was held by members of the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau under ASP Franklyn Edwards on the Churchill Roosevelt Highway, El Socorro.

When Samuels was searched, he was carrying a box with four motor car shocks. In that box, police allegedly found 1.5 kilos of cocaine with a local street value of $1 million. He was arrested and taken to the bureau’s Port-of-Spain offices where he was subsequently charged. Yesterday, Samuels of South End, Catford in London, appeared before Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates’ Court charged with trafficking the cocaine.

Court prosecutor Sgt Roodal Harrilal produced a brown cardboard box with the four vehicle shocks.

He also produced four plastic bags with 1,496 grammes of cocaine. When arrested, Samuels was in possession of a United Kingdom and Northern Ireland passport.

Harrilal also produced one shipping bill from DHL Express with Samuel’s local address for the box to be sent to his address in London. The shipping bill stated that the four shocks were intended for export. Harrilal said there was no police record on Samuels. But he said the police needed to conduct an Interpol tracing on the accused. He asked for one week for the tracing to be completed.

Attorney Cecil Pope, who appeared for Samuels, said his client came to Trinidad on a short visit. He said Samuels has relatives in Trinidad. His stay in Trinidad was due to end on Thursday, the same day he was arrested.

Lee Kim said she intends to give the police sufficient time to get the results of the Interpol tracing. She denied Samuels bail but advised him of his right to apply to a judge in chambers. He was then remanded in custody to May 22.