$14m cocaine in court:

A 35-YEAR-OLD employee of DHL Worldwide Express spent the weekend in jail as his application for bail was not determined Friday.

Joseph Mc Donald, of Eastern Main Road, Tunapuna, appeared before Magistrate Lianne Lee Kim in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Magistrates’ Court charged with knowingly enclosing in packets, a dangerous drug, namely cocaine, to be sent by courier, on June 26 at San Juan contrary to section 17 of the Dangerous Drugs Act.

This is the first time that this section of the Dangerous Drugs Act has been used. In all other instances, persons caught were charged with trafficking and/or possession of the drugs.

When the case was called, the complainant ASP Franklyn Edwards produced nine DHL Express packets. Inside those packets were 73 smaller packets containing cocaine, which weighed 18.6 kilos.

Mc Donald’s attorney Ian Brooks then made an application for bail. He said his client had been working at DHL as a courier for the past year and a half and had no pending matters before the courts, or convictions. He said his client was not a flight risk and asked for bail to be granted. He recommended conditions be imposed, like taking away Mc Donald’s passport and ordering him to report to the Tunapuna Police Station at least three times a week. But court prosecutor Sgt Roodal Harrilal objected to bail on the grounds of prevalence and the quantum involved.

This drew fire and brimstone from Brooks. He said when he spoke with the investigator on Thursday he was assured there would be no objection to bail.

“He has now turned around and reneged on that assurance. They want more time to find out what other evidence they have against my client. Where are they going to find that?” he asked. Certain things came out in court which Brooks asked the magistrate to order the media not to report.

The prosecutor agreed, but the magistrate said apart from the media, there were 16 other persons in the public gallery who heard what had transpired. The magistrate made no order.

The magistrate said she was willing to give the police time to find out certain things before she decides on bail.

The matter was adjourned to today.