Plane passes through TT

A WANTED Guyanese fugitive, who was captured in Suriname two weeks ago, has been reportedly snatched from a prison by US officials and taken to the United States. The aircraft carrying Shaheed Roger Khan, stopped briefly at Piarco International Airport before the wanted man was whisked to the US to face Grand Jury charges of conspiracy to import cocaine into that country.

Khan’s Trinidad attorney Odai Ramischand confirmed yesterday that his client was now in the US. Khan, along with three other Guyanese nationals were arrested in Suriname on June 15 when more than 200 kilos of cocaine were seized.

Khan had fled Guyana after the US Grand Jury in Brooklyn, New York, indicted him on a charge of conspiracy to import cocaine into the US. But no warrant was issued by the US authorities for him.

Since his arrest, Khan had been kept in a Suriname jail. The Suriname Government explained yesterday that they had no legitimate cause or reason to continue to detain Khan so he was officially released at 11 pm on Wednesday.

According to Ramischand, US law enforcement officers invaded the Suriname prison, placed a hood over Khan’s head, injected him with tranquillisers and took him on a flight to Trinidad. He said the aircraft left Suriname at 4 a.m. yesterday.

But Suriname’s Justice Minister Chandrika Persad Santokhi, at a news conference yesterday stated that Khan was deported to Guyana.

Ramischand accused the authorities in Suriname, TT and the United States of collusion and in clear violation of the laws of these countries.

“Clearly, the Americans have continued and are continuing to act in violation of and contrary to international laws, conventions, practices and the United Nations Conventions on Human Rights.”

Ramischand assured that this was not the end of the matter. He called on lawyers in Guyana to come to Trinidad where they will seek redress for Khan and expose the illegal conduct of the authorities in Suriname, TT and the US.