Soldier jailed, fined $28M for drug trafficking
…colleague gets $350k bail
One of the two soldiers, who was charged with drug trafficking after being intercepted with 316 pounds of marijuana during a police operation, has been jailed for three years.
The custodial sentence was imposed on Edward McCalmont, a 40-year-old Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Corporal from Kaneville, East Bank Demerara, on Wednesday.
Principal Magistrate Faith Mc Gusty handed down the punishment after Mc Calmont changed his not guilty plea to guilty when he appeared before her at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts.
The self-confessed drug trafficker was also fined over GY$28 million.
Mc Calmont’s colleague, John Johnson, a 24-year-old GDF Lance Corporal from Timehri, East Bank Demerara, who was initially remanded to prison, was granted $350,000 bail on Wednesday.
He was represented by attorney-at-law Bernard Da Silva.
The case has been adjourned to September 25, 2024, for report and disclosure.
The soldiers, in full uniform, were apprehended around 21:20 hours on Saturday, July 27, 2024, on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown near Space Gym, following an intelligence-led operation conducted by Special Branch and other police ranks.
They were traveling in a Route 42 motor bus (#BTT 27) owned and driven by McCalmont.
Acting on a tip-off, police stopped the bus and conducted a search, uncovering 49 large parcels wrapped in transparent plastic containing leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be cannabis.
The soldiers were then arrested, informed of the offence, and taken to the East La Penitence Police Station along with the bus and narcotics, which weighed 316 pounds.
