Two women have been remanded to prison after police discovered over 300 pounds of ganja during a stop-and-search operation last weekend. The women, Shamay Bryan, 33, and Sarafina Cheddy, both from Smithfield, New Amsterdam, were arraigned this morning before Magistrate Michelle Matthias at the Blairmont Magistrate’s Court.
The charges against them include possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking, following the recovery of 345.8 pounds of suspected cannabis during a police operation along the Number 10 Public Road on Saturday morning.
In court, police revealed that this quantity is regarded as a significant narcotics find for the division and forms part of ongoing intelligence-led initiatives targeting drug trafficking routes connecting Berbice to other regions of the country.
According to law enforcement, Bryan and Cheddy were in a motorcar stopped around 7:20 AM. Inside the vehicle’s trunk, officers found several brown salt bags and black garbage bags containing bulky parcels wrapped in transparent plastic, all suspected to be cannabis.
Both women pleaded not guilty to the charges and were remanded to prison. They are scheduled to appear in court again on March 26.
During the proceedings, Bryan stated that she operates a grocery business in Smithfield, while Cheddy identified herself as a housewife. However, police prosecutor Sergeant Garfield Edwards informed the court that Cheddy is a former member of the Guyana Prison Service and is currently facing a similar narcotics charge.
Edwards disclosed that Cheddy is on $100,000 bail for a previous case dating back to December 2022, when she, under the name Sarafina Pitt, was allegedly arrested at the New Amsterdam Prison with 500 grams of cannabis. That case remains pending in the court system.
The court proceedings continue amid increased efforts by law enforcement to combat drug trafficking in the region.
