4 in court on $M cocaine charge

Another man, Shaquille Bridgeman, 23, was granted $500,000 bail. They were taken before Magistrate Margaret Alert in the San Fernando Second Magistrate Court. The Farrell brothers are charged with possession of 9.9 kilos of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. Mosquera, 27, and Bridgeman were charged jointly with possession of 1.1 kilos of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Charges were laid by PC Moses and Rampersad of San Fernando CID. The men were arrested and charged on April 11 in two separate incidents in La Romaine.The court heard that brothers Chiwale and Kibwee were arrested at Bobb Street while Mosquera and Bridgeman were detained Rahaman Drive.

The men were allegedly arrested during an anti crime exercise co-ordinated by Head of the Southern Division Snr Supt Zamsheed Mohammed, ASP Ali Mohammed and Insp Don Gajadhar and supervised by Sgts Commissiong, Parasram and Ramroop.

Attorney Subhas Panday represented Chiwale and Kibwee.

He told the court the brothers worked as taxi drivers. In his application for bail, Panday also said the men were not flight risks.

Court prosecutor Sgt Chanardath Jhilmit identified the exhibits as being nine rectangular blocks of cocaine. He said the drugs were found in a blue bag. He told the magistrate that the street value was $12.3M.

However Panday in questioning the street value amount said that the exhibits were not tested to know the quality of the drugs to determine the street value.

Mosquera and Bridgeman were represented by attorney Shawn Teekasingh. The matter was adjourned to May 11