Darius Frank, a 29-year-old interdicted Policeman/Farmer who resides at Lot #604 Half Mile Wismar, Linden was arrested on 2023-02-22 and charged today (2023-02-24) for Possession of Narcotics for the Purpose of Trafficking to wit 113.2lbs (equivalent to 51,346.6 grams) of Cannabis Sativa committed at Nottinghamshire, Upper Demerara River. The narcotic has a street value of $15,403,998.
The charge was laid under Section 5 (1)(a)(i) of the Narcotics Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (Control) Act Chapter 10:10.
At about 11:30hrs Friday the Defendant appeared at the Linden Magistrate’s Court before Her Worship Magistrate Wanda Fortune where the charge was read to him.
He pleaded not guilty and was remanded to prison. The matter was postponed to 2023-04-06 for disclosure.
BACKGROUND
At about 03:15 hrs on 2023-02-22, police ranks left the Mackenzie Police Station with a Force motor pick-up and Force motorcycles to patrol and conduct searches for narcotics, firearms, ammunition, and stolen articles along the Ituni trail.
During the patrol on the Ituni trail, several vehicles were stopped and searched but nothing of evidential value was found. At about 10:30 hrs on the said date (2023-02-22) as the ranks were approaching the Bosai Junction on their way to Linden, they observed a silver-grey Fielder Wagon No. PZZ 2796 coming out from the trail along the Ituni Road.
Police drove up alongside the motor car and observed that Darius Frank, an interdicted police constable, was the driver of the car.
Police instructed Frank to stop the car which Frank did and as the ranks were about to exit the Force vehicle, Frank drove off at a fast rate.
The ranks then gave chase after the car and as they reached Nottinghamshire, the Force vehicle drove into a ditch and turned turtle resulting in three ranks who were seated in the tray of the vehicle receiving injuries.
An Inspector, a Corporal and two Constables continued their pursuit of the car on motorcycles. As they were about twenty feet away, Frank was seen throwing bulky bags from the car into some bushes on the roadside and quickly entered the vehicle and was about to drive off, but he was stopped by the police ranks.
Police then went to the area where the bags were thrown and found five large bulky bags containing transparent parcels with suspected cannabis which was drawn to the attention of Frank. Frank, who was the lone occupant of the car, was told of the offence committed, cautioned where he made oral admission. He was arrested and escorted to the Mackenzie Police Station along with the suspected cannabis and the car. At the station, the narcotics were weighed and amounted to 113.2 pounds which is equivalent to 51, 346.6 grammes.
FURTHER SEARCH
Meanwhile, on 2023-02-22 at about 15:30 hrs, police ranks returned to Bosai Junction, through a trail where Darius Frank whom they arrested earlier for trafficking in narcotics was seen exiting. Ranks then drove about 300 meters through the said sandy trail and observed thick vegetation. The police ranks proceeded to comb through the bushes where they observed a grey bulky tarpaulin, which was opened and the ranks discovered several multi-colour shopping bags, brownish/creamish salt bags all containing a quantity of compressed leaves, seeds and stems suspected to be cannabis sativa.
Same was photographed and the ranks then took possession of the narcotics and escorted it to Mackenzie Police Station where it was weighed and amounted to 249 pounds (lbs) which is equivalent to 112,900.5 grammes carrying a street value of $22,410,000. (Police Release)
