Plaisance man remanded over cocaine bust at CJIA

Sep 30, 2017 News

– but cocaine vanishes from storage room at CID Headquarters

Delvor Bunbury and Travis
Mendonca

As police continue to probe the disappearance of a quantity of cocaine from the office of a Senior Superintendent of Police attached to the Narcotics Branch, Criminal Investigation Department (CID), Headquarters, a Plaisance, East Coast Demerara man has been charged with trafficking the illegal substance.
Delvor Bunbury, 28, of Lot 37 Victoria Road, Plaisance, for whom police had issued a wanted bulletin about two week ago, turned himself in on Tuesday—the same day the cocaine went missing. Yesterday, Bunbury appeared before Senior Magistrate, Leron Daly and denied the charge which alleged that on September 11, last, at Bel Air, Georgetown; he had 1.828 kg of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.
The alleged drug trafficker, who was represented by Attorney-at-Law Latchmie Rahamat, was instructed to make his next court appearance on October 20, next, in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts. The illegal substance is linked to a case involving ex-policeman Travis Mendonca, who was sentenced to three years in prison earlier this month for trafficking in narcotics. The ex-cop was an outgoing passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) destined to board a flight to New York, when the cocaine was discovered in false bottoms of his suitcase.
During a bail application, Rahamat told the court that her client has no knowledge of the drug; neither did he have care or control of the prohibited substance.
According to the lawyer, police were unable to locate the cocaine resulting in them being unable to weigh it in his presence.
However, Police Prosecutor, Simone Payne told the court that Bunbury had supplied the suitcase with the drugs concealed to Mendonca. The Prosecutor disclosed that Bunbury hired a taxi to have the suitcase be delivered to Mendonca.
In relation to the cocaine that vanished from CID Headquarters, Kaieteur News was told that the illegal substance, which was tendered as evidence, was supposed to be stored in the armoury at the Tactical Service Unit—as is the norm.
However, the senior officer reportedly kept the cocaine, stored in a suitcase, in the storage room at his office. A police source confirmed that the Senior Superintendent is the only person who has keys to his office.
A police source, close to the investigation explained that when Bunbury turned himself into CID, Headquarters on Tuesday, the investigating ranks sent for the cocaine so that they could have weighed it in front of him (Bunbury) and read his arrest to him.
The source explained that the senior cop was informed that the cocaine was needed. He reportedly took the illegal substance, in the suitcase, to the two ranks that requested it and allegedly walked away.
Seconds later, when the ranks opened the suitcase, the substance was nowhere to be found. The officer, who was then contacted, informed the ranks that he collected the suitcase and dropped it off; he did not check the suitcase to see if the substance was inside.
As customary, the senior officer was supposed to check the suitcase in front of the ranks that he was handing it over to and allowed them to sign—but this was not done. Investigators checked his office, but there was no sign of a break in. It is also suspected that Bunbury only turned himself in because he knew the cocaine was gone.
Assistant Commissioner of Police, David Ramnarine, confirmed that the Guyana Police Force (GPF) Office of Professional Responsibility has launched an investigation.