US security and legal officials yesterday called on Attorney-General Doodnauth Singh to ascertain the extradition procedures for a number of persons they want to put before the US courts.
This is a significant move by US authorities after three drug busts in five months that have seen 46 arrests in the New York area but not one locally. US agents are said to have identified the kingpins of various drug trafficking and money laundering rings operating out of Guyana. Stabroek News has learnt that the delegation comprised security officials based at the US embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, lawyers from the US Attorney’s Office in New York as well as from the Drug Enforcement Agency.
Singh is reported to have indicated to the US officials that the requests for extradition have to be channelled through the Minister of Foreign Affairs together with the supporting evidence. This would then be forwarded to the Home Affairs Minister and that official would then issue warrants for the arrest of the persons named in the request. He said those persons would then be placed before the courts to determine whether or not they would be extradited based on the evidence presented.
Singh said that the officials did not indicate the names of those persons the US would like to have extradited as their indictments were sealed.
The requests come in the wake of the most recent drug bust on April 6 in New York which allegedly involved a number of Guyanese who are believed to be part of an extensive drug trafficking and money laundering ring based in Guyana and the US. Eleven of the defendants were allegedly members of a large importation ring that smuggled cocaine into the United States from Guyana. “Specifically, Delven Adams, Intiaz Ali, Shafeek Ali, Zaman Ashraf, Jerome Brown, Bretnol Raul Hooper, Pooran Khuball and Okobo Vieira distributed cocaine for the ring, primarily in Brooklyn and Queens, New York.”
Dorian Caldeira and Dino Sattaur allegedly participated in the drug importation and wired drug proceeds from Queens to Guyana; and Azaam Khan conspired to purchase cocaine in Queens from the ring. Between June 2002 and June 2003, these defendants were responsible for distributing and/or importing into the United States approximately 70 kilogrammes of cocaine, said the NY District Attorney. The remaining two defendants, members of a separate ring, are charged with laundering narcotics proceeds, including drug proceeds for the cocaine smuggling ring described above, primarily out of a residence located in Floral Park, New York. According to the complaint, Sabrina Budhram and Arnold Budhram laundered approximately US$10 million in drug proceeds since 1986 by disguising the funds as money belonging to a front company, Sabena Manufacturing and Sales, an inactive textile trading company. Once the narcotics proceeds were “washed” through the company, the Budhrams arranged to transport the money to Guyana, typically in luggage carried by associates of the Budhrams. Late last year the authorities in the US had arrested more than 20 people in connection with a drug ring operating at the JFK Airport, which included persons employed at the airport. The persons were arraigned and their court matters are continuing. In early March there was another drug bust in New York also with thirteen individuals arrested, many of whom were Guyanese.
Also, in February, Baltimore police arrested former national cyclist, Paul Choo-Wee-Nam with a quantity of cocaine in his car after he had allegedly uplifted it from a container shipped from Guyana. It is not clear to which of these cases the extradition requests are related.