SHARLENE RAMPERSAD
The four people charged in the million-dollar Westmoorings drug bust will reappear in court this morning, hoping to be granted bail by a Port-of-Spain Magistrate.
Krystiana Sankar, Aruba Eligon, Jervon Cole and Yannis Augustine first appeared before Senior Magistrate Indrani Cedeno in the Port-of-Spain Magistrates Eight Court on Friday after being jointly charged with possession of marijuana for the purpose of trafficking and possession of cocaine for trafficking.
Sankar was charged separately with possession of a firearm and ammunition.
On Friday the four were denied bail and remanded into custody as police asked for more time to have them traced.
The stash of drugs they were allegedly held with was entered into evidence: 315 packets of marijuana totalling 191.66 kilogrammes, one packet of cocaine weighing 1.4 kilogrammes and Sankar’s cellphone, a revolver and bullets for the weapon.
The marijuana has an estimated street value of $3.4 million, while the cocaine was said to be worth $400,000.
Kidnappers in court
In a separate case, two men who were charged with the kidnapping of University of the West Indies (UWI) employee Maria Dass on November 28 will also appear before a Port-of-Spain Magistrate today.
Ricardo Felix, 21 and Keon Phillips, 35, were jointly charged with Dass’ kidnapping for ransom and possession of a firearm and ammunition. Phillips was charged separately for robbery with violence from an unrelated incident that allegedly took place on November 25.
Felix, of Saddle Road, Maraval and Phillips, of Clarence Trace, Valencia were both charged by Sgt Thomas of the St Joseph CID on Friday.
In another unrelated case, a Penal man will appear in the Siparia Magistrates’ Court this morning, charged with six counts of kidnapping, six counts of demanding money by menace for the kidnapping of a Penal family of five on December 1.
(see Page A15)