‘Scamps’ get bonded and a tongue lashing

A HIGH COURT judge yesterday told three men who tried to pass off flour as cocaine, that they needed to be protected from themselves rather than for society to be protected from them.  Justice Herbert Volney placed Damien Baptiste, 21, of Santa Flora; Hayden Lewis, 26, and Rodney Robinson, 24, both of Siparia on five-year bonds.

Referring to the trio as “scamps” rather than criminals, Justice Volney said they should count themselves lucky that the police arrested them before the buyers were able to get to them.

Baptiste, Lewis, and Robinson were caught red-handed over two years ago, trying to sell flour which they claimed was cocaine. But while attempting to sell the white substance, members of the Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit (OCNU) intervened and arrested them.  On the first day of the trial in the Second Assizes of the San Fernando High Court before Justice Volney and a nine-member mixed jury, the three pleaded guilty to the charge of trafficking a substance representing it to be cocaine.

Their admission of guilt came after State prosecutor Narissa Ramsundar called OCNU PC Wayne Abbott and he testified that on November 21, 2000, he and a party of police officers were on a stake out operation opposite the Gulf City Shopping Complex, near the food stalls. PC Abbott said after a short while a white vehicle pulled up with four occupants, including the three accused.

After approximately one minute, a man came over to the vehicle and the four alighted from the car and opened the trunk of the vehicle. Abbott said he walked up closer to them, while communicating with the other policemen via his wireless communicator.

The police officer testified that he overheard Baptiste asking the East Indian man if he had “brought the money” and the man replied: “I want to test the cocaine first”. According to Abbott, the accused said: “Don’t worry it’s good stuff.”

Within minutes, police surrounded the men and Abott testified that Lewis said: “Oh God officer, is Roger tell me is ah easy piece of money I go make selling this flour as cocaine because them fellas an them he dealing with inexperienced and they have plenty money.”

Police searched the accused’s vehicle and found five packets containing a white powdery substance. The substance, which was found to have a weight of 3.9 kilogrammes, was later analysed at the Forensics Sciences Centre and was confirmed not to be cocaine.