The four people charged in connection with the Westmoorings drug bust will spend the weekend in jail after their bail hearing was put off until Monday.
Krystiana Sankar, Aruba Eligon, Jervon Cole and Yannis Pebbles Augustine appeared before Magistrate Indrani Cedeno in the Port of Spain Magistrates' Eighth Court charged with possession of marijuana for the
purpose of trafficking and possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
Sankar was charged additionally with possession of a firearm and ammunition.
It took over one and a half hours for the drugs to be entered into evidence, as 315 packets of marijuana totalling 191.66 kilogrammes were presented before the court. One packet of cocaine weighing 1.4 kilogrammes was also presented, as well as Sankar's cellphone, a revolver and bullets for the weapon.
The marijuana was estimated to be valued at $3.4 million while the cocaine was said to be worth $400,000.
The "street value" of the drugs became a talking point during the hearing, as defence attorneys questioned what was the actual street value of marijuana. The prosecution placed the value at $40 per 1.25 grammes.
The value of the cocaine also raised eyebrows in the public gallery, with one man commenting while seated next to officers, "So much for one kilo of cocaine? Best I stop sell weed."
The prosecution objected to bail for the accused, arguing that given the serious nature of the crime they were not likely to return to custody. However, defence attorneys, particularly Sankar's attorney Larry Williams, questioned the basis on which the officers decided the accused would be flight risks.
Williams said the officers had admitted that both Sankar and Augustine had no previous matters and were strangers to law, while also knocking the prosecution's other argument that they had insufficient time to do tracing on the accused.
The matter started at 1.50pm and Williams argued, "The police had all day to do that."
Williams said his clients should not be punished because the police acted inefficiently.
However, Magistrate Cedeno agreed tracing should be done and postponed the bail hearing to Monday.