CANU does not trust some airport Police
CUSTOMS Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Supervisor Orvil Nedd said Tuesday that alerting other agencies at a certain stage would have impeded investigations into the airport toilet drug bust last month. He told Chief Magistrate Paul Fung-A-Fat, if he had alerted any employee of Civil Aviation Department (CAD) or security at Cheddi Jagan International Airport about the arrest of one of the defendants, the whole of Timehri would have known, resulting in obstruction to his probe. Nedd offered the explanation as his professional opinion while being cross-examined by Defence Counsel Nigel Hughes, who is representing Ronsdale Kennedy, 19, of Timehri, East Bank Demerara. Kennedy, then employed at CAD, Timehri, is on trial jointly with brothers Edmond Welch, a fireman of D'Urban Street, Wortmanville and, Andre Welch, of West Ruimveldt, also in Georgetown. All three are alleged to have trafficked in 3,098 grammes of cocaine last September 3 while the siblings were outgoing passengers. Hughes was questioning Nedd about Kennedy's alleged escape from custody after being apprehended and the witness said he received information about the incident but did not contact anyone from CAD or airport security. Nedd said he did not go to CAD to make enquiries nor did he call there. He did not see any airport staff searching for Kennedy that afternoon nor did he contact the Police or send someone to them. Nedd said he sent CANU officer Alleyne to CAD headquarters to speak with Airport Manager Leitch but declined to call the same official or his staff. The witness said his reason for not telling the Police is that, if a cocaine suspect had slipped them, they would have pursued the individual themselves and not inform CANU. Nedd said he made the choice of not informing the Police of the Kennedy's flight for security reasons as CANU does not trust some of the airport cops. Witness said he was under the impression he received a report of the occurrence about 1.30 pm. He said CANU officer Vincent told him she was searching a female passenger and maybe that is when Kennedy fled. Nedd confirmed there is only one CANU search room at the airport, measuring 15 feet by 10 feet, in which female passengers are also searched. He said Vincent was not searching the female in CANU's, where Kennedy was alone, but in the Police search room, which is located in the airport, as well. Nedd said he did not ask Vincent if Kennedy was placed in her charge and when she told him "maybe" he had fled, he was not suspicious, either, that she had allowed him to do so. Instead, he thought Vincent was very careless to leave the detainee unaccompanied. Witness said Vincent could not have contacted the other officers to guard Kennedy as it would have entailed her leaving the internal scanner and going to the external one and no one else was at the former. But there is always a Police officer at the machine scanning internally once a flight is scheduled to depart. Nedd said CANU officer Carrington returned to their office about 6.15 pm and the witness had seen the written report of other CANU officer Paul Bishundial before he left. CANU records entries in chronological order and Nedd recalled seeing Carrington at 2.46 pm when he took Andre Welch to CANU office. Witness said he saw Carrington make an entry at 3 pm and again at 8.30 pm the very day. Earlier, as evidence-in-chief, Nedd told Special Prosecutor James Bovell-Drakes he was on duty at the airport from 9 am on September 3, with Bishundial, Carrington, Vincent and Alleyne under his supervision. He said he had instructed Bishundial, Vincent and Alleyne to profile passengers travelling on BWIA Flight 424 to New York via Trinidad and Tobago. Nedd said, since he was pointed out to him by other CANU officers about six months before, he knew Kennedy worked as an electrical technician at CAD. On September 3, witness said he received certain information, as a result of which he called Bishundial, Vincent and Alleyne, gave Bishundial certain instructions and the trio went to the internal scanner. Nedd said, about 1.15 pm, Bishundial returned to the CANU office with Edmond Welch and three brown, taped parcels numbered one, two and three, in his hand. Nedd said Bishundial, speaking clearly and loud enough for Edmond Welch, who was about three feet away, to hear, reported that he went into the toilet in the duty free area and saw Kennedy handing over one of the parcels to Edmond and he took possession of it, made a slit and revealed the suspected cocaine. Nedd said Bishundial further stated that he had searched the same lavatory and found the other two parcels, adding that he had left Kennedy in the search room with Vincent. Witness said he then took Bishundial, Edmond Welch and the three packages to the CANU search room but, when they arrived there, Kennedy was missing. Nedd said he summoned Vincent and asked her about the absentee and she said he might have gone while she was tending a female passenger booked on the BWIA flight. Nedd said, following that discovery, he gave Alleyne certain instructions and he departed. Witness said he took Bishundial, Edmond Welch and the packages back to CANU office where Alleyne re-appeared about 2.40 pm with Andre Welch. Nedd said he questioned Andre about his involvement in the suspected narcotic trafficking and the defendant claimed he was denied travel on the aircraft because his passport had been damaged. Nedd said Andre admitted he knew Kennedy and had given him the three parcels to put in the lavatory within the duty free area where brother Edmond was supposed to collect them. The supervisor said he informed Andre that he had committed an offence, cautioned him and detained both Welches. Nedd said, about 5.30 pm, CANU officers Stoby and Fraser arrived at the airport and, in the presence of the Welches, Bishundial reported what had happened. Stoby administered the caution to the duo and put questions about his involvement to Edmond, who confirmed that Bishundial was telling the truth. Nedd said, prior to him making that statement, no one had offered any inducement to Edmond, threatened nor used physical violence on him. Bishundial handed Stoby the parcels and, after Nedd related what Andre had told him, the defendant concurred it was true. Stoby was also given the two passports and other travel documents belonging to the brothers. Witness said, about 6.15 pm, Alleyne returned to the CANU office with Kennedy and Bishundial repeated what he had earlier told Stoby, with the three defendants present. And, without them being offered any inducement, threatened or physically abused, Kennedy, under caution by Stoby, said Andre gave him the three parcels to put in the washroom section so that he and his brother could collect them to take on board the BWIA flight, Bishundial testified. Nedd said Kennedy, claiming he was afraid, admitted escaping from the search room and the three defendants were transported to CANU headquarters in Georgetown. Under cross-examination by Hughes, the witness said arrested male suspects are usually detained by female officers and the procedure is for them to be guarded in the search room or CANU office, before their transfer to the city. Nedd said personnel would be used for ensuring the suspected persons stay in detention but the officer keeping Kennedy did not report the escapade to him. Vincent gave a written statement that same day. Bishundial told Hughes he worked from 9 am on September 3 to 9 am September 4 and the working of the entire team is recorded by CANU. Bishundial said a CANU mini-bus always transports him to Timehri and he never used any private taxi or other transportation. He could not recall any other CANU officer being transported to the airport by any taxi service on September 3. Re-examined by Bovell-Drakes, Bishundial said he did not write what Kennedy confessed inside the washroom because, at the same time, he had the three parcels containing the cocaine in his hand. He also did not reduce in writing the statement the defendant made as he was waiting to put it in the report he compiled later. Bishundial said he did not notify Police about the arrest of Kennedy as he had already spoken to his supervisor about it and the escape. Witness said he could not have observed any search for the fugitive because he went back to CANU office with Edmond Welch and the portions as instructed by Nedd. Bishundial said he did not speak to the airport security about Kennedy escaping but went straight to the CANU office. His behaviour was normal because he had previously drawn it to the attention of his superior who directed him to go back there with Edmond Welch. The trial continues tomorrow.
|