Driver on 800k Bail For Transporting Stolen Fabrics
December 3 2025
A 24-year-old Canter operator, Condell Padmore, was released on a combined $800,000 bail after being brought before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty on Tuesday in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
Padmore, who lives at Lot 106 New Housing Scheme, Sparendaam, East Coast Demerara, is facing two separate simple larceny charges, each linked to high-value fabric materials allegedly taken from locations on the East Bank of Demerara.
The first allegation stems from an incident on November 28, 2025, at Houston, Greater Georgetown, where Padmore is accused of stealing textile fabric worth $1.4 million.
The second charge relates to an incident two days earlier, on November 26, when he allegedly removed 10 rolls of construction fabric valued at $1.5 million, said to be the property of Shaheed Persaud.
He denied both accusations.
During the hearing, Attorney Melvin Duke, representing Padmore, insisted that his client was merely executing tasks assigned by someone he worked with.
Duke argued that Padmore was called and instructed to pick up and move the items, unaware of any illegal activity.
The attorney also maintained that although Padmore had been before the courts in the past, those matters were concluded in his favour and he had no existing charges or convictions.
Duke added that Padmore was unlikely to flee, considering his long-standing community ties at Sparendam.
The prosecution pushed back, saying the charges involved significant sums of money, happened on different days, and described Padmore as someone “familiar with the system,” mentioning past matters including robbery and simple larceny.
Prosecutors also claimed they obtained video footage from one of the days that allegedly shows Padmore driving the canter used in removing the materials.
They further noted that the virtual complainant had never authorised anyone to collect the items and raised concerns about the complainant’s safety.
However, when questioned directly by the magistrate, the prosecution could not confirm whether Padmore had ever been convicted of the previous matters mentioned, nor could they provide evidence suggesting he posed a flight risk.
This led Magistrate McGusty to question the basis of their objections, asking whether they had any material capable of justifying the denial of bail.
Given the opportunity to speak, Padmore explained that he transported the fabrics to areas he could only describe generally: the first delivery in a “north-east” zone near Cemetery Road, and the other to a location “to the east.”
He told the court he is not familiar with Georgetown since he is from the East Coast and simply followed instructions.
Padmore also claimed that after being arrested, he guided police to one of the drop-off areas, which allowed officers to recover a portion of the missing items.
The prosecution disputed this claim, maintaining that none of the stolen materials were recovered.
Because of the conflicting accounts, the magistrate advised Padmore to give investigators all possible assistance in identifying the delivery spots so the remaining fabrics might be located.
After reviewing all submissions, Magistrate McGusty granted $400,000 bail on each charge, amounting to $800,000 in total.
Padmore must report to the Agricola Police Outpost on the third Friday of every month.
His next court appearance is set for January 14, 2026.
