Judge refuses to grant bail to alleged drug trafficker, Andrew Morgan

More than two months after he was remanded to prison in connection with the discovery of $3.5M in cocaine at his home, accused drug trafficker, Andrew Morgan, has again been refused bail. This time, by Demerara High Court Judge Gino Persaud.

The 52-year-old man of Lot 142 Ixora Avenue, Eccles, East Bank Demerara (EBD), was on June 29, arraigned before Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond/Golden Grove Magistrates’ Courts on a charge for the offence of trafficking in narcotics.

Magistrate Scarce remanded him to prison after he denied the charge which stated that on June 27, at the aforementioned address, he had 3.278 kilogrammes of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.

At his other court hearing on August 4, he was further remanded by Magistrate Scarce.

In light of this, Morgan’s lawyer filed a bail application on his client’s behalf in the High Court.

Therein, the lawyer argued that there was an “unreasonable day” in the commencement of his client’s trial and that the prosecution had sought an adjournment on the ground that the analyst report was not yet completed when in fact it was completed.

Further, the lawyer advanced that the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) has evidential problems including establishing a nexus.

But the CANU prosecutor Attorney-at-Law Thalia Thompson objected to Morgan being granted his pretrial liberty, arguing that no special reasons were advanced or shown that warrants the grant of bail.

She also argued that the matters raised by Hanoman are contentious issues of fact suitable for trial and not a bail hearing. She also contended that there has been no delay but an argument of presumed delay in the future.

In the end, Justice Persaud, in his ruling earlier this week, held that he agreed with the arguments made by the CANU prosecutor.

According to him, the accused was charged on June 29 and the next court date for continuation is September 27.

Considering this, the High Court Judge said: “It is premature at this stage to argue unreasonable delay. I do not find that there is any unreasonable delay”, adding “I find that these evidential issues are not relevant factors to be taken into consideration for the grant of bail.”

In the circumstances, the application to the High Court for the grant of reasonable bail to Morgan was refused on the basis of the Judge finding that “no special reasons exist for the grant of bail.”

The accused drug trafficker remains imprisoned until his next court date, September 27.

According to reports, on the day in question, CANU officers acting on intelligence conducted a narcotics operation at Lot 142 Ixora Avenue, Eccles, East Bank Demerara.

A subsequent search of the said property was conducted in the presence of the defendant, which resulted in the discovery of a quantity of cocaine, (27) 9mm rounds, one (1) .32 Taurus firearm, along with one magazine, and 25 matching .32 rounds.

Morgan was then arrested and escorted to CANU headquarters along with the firearm, ammunition, and cocaine. The illicit drug has a street value of approximately $ 3.5million.

Andrew Morgan is the brother of convicted drug trafficker Peter Morgan, who was deported from the United States of America in 2015.

Peter was imprisoned in the USA for conspiring to import, possess and distribute five kilogrammes of cocaine between December 2001 and August 2003 into the United States.