Granny and 7 others freed

A 73-YEAR-OLD pensioner was among a group of nine persons who appeared before a Chaguanas Magistrate to answer charges of possession of cocaine, hidden in bars of soap. All nine, are said to be related to each other.

However, moments after having the charge read to her, to which she pleaded not-guilty, pensioner Polly Gangaram and seven of the accused persons, were freed after the ninth accused — Larry Tewarie — pleaded guilty and was subsequently fined $5,500 or in default, serve two years imprisonment with hard labour. The nine accused persons included Polly Gangaram, Bob Gangaram, Kamla Gangaram, Shalamar Mohammed, Shiraz Mohammed, Ashuna  Balkaran, Shelly Laurie, Christopher Tewarie and Larry Tewarie. Their ages ranged from 15 to 73. The nine appeared before First Court Magistrate, Nanette Forde-John. While the charge was being read to the accused person, the elderly woman’s hands shook and she had to be held by her co-accused. When it came his turn to plea, 29-year-old Larry Tewarie, admitted that it was he who had the cocaine and would assume full responsibility for the illegal narcotics.

The other accused persons including the pensioner, were freed of the charge and allowed to leave the court room. Some of them were seen wiping away tears, as they left the court. None of them spoke to Newsday. The court heard evidence from prosecutor WP Cpl Corbett-Mohammed who said that around 4.30 pm on Sunday, a team of Chaguanas CID officers led by detective Sgt Ajith Persad, went to a mini-mart located at the front of a dwelling house at Amaroo Singh Street, Chaguanas and carried out a search for dangerous drugs. The officers examined ten bars of scented soap, which they discovered was hollow and contained a small quantity of cocaine stored in foil paper. In all, the police seized 4.1 grammes of the illegal drug. After the evidence was presented to the court, Tewarie was fined $5,500 by Magistrate Forde-John who ordered him to pay $2,000 forthwith, and the rest within 21 days.