A hotel owner who was allegedly caught with a quantity of marijuana and cocaine, was moments ago charged and remanded to prison for the offence.
Marlon Jarvis, 44, of 100 Tabatinga, Lethem, appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court where he was slapped with two charges.
The first charge stated that, on April 3, 2019, at Tabatinga, Lethem, he willfully attempted to pervert the course of justice by handing over the sum of $180,000 to Samuel Trotman, in order to get a trafficking in narcotics charge against him drop.
It was further alleged that on the same day and at the same location, Jarvis had in his possession 53.4 kilograms of cannabis and 1.59 kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
Jarvis, who is the owner of the Marlon and Son’s Hotel, denied the allegations after the charges were read to him.
The man’s lawyer, Jerome Khan, in a failed attempt to secure bail for his client, told the court that his client is a well-known businessman in Lethem, citing that his hotel is frequently visited by ministers, diplomats, senior officials, and members of the Guyana Police Force.
The lawyer added that, on the day in question, his client received a phone call from his friend, Trotman.
He added that Trotman told him that the police had his business place surrounded, and requested that he carry $200,000 for him.
Khan added that, when his client arrived at his friend’s home, he handed over the money to Trotman, and they both were arrested and taken to the Lethem Police Station.
The lawyer added that at no time did his client hand over any money to any member of the GPF, and therefore, he said, it is unclear why Jarvis was charged for perverting the course of justice.
However, facts presented by Police Prosecutor Gordon Mansfield differ from that of the defense council.
The Prosecutor’s facts stated that, on the day in question, ranks from the Lethem station received information which led them to an unfinished flat structure at Tabatinga, where they carried out a search in and around the building.
A rank, who searched inside the house, found a quantity of leaves, seeds, and stems suspected to be marijuana.
Further investigation was carried out and Jarvis was arrested for the offence.
While in police custody, Jarvis received a phone called from Trotman and he allegedly spoke about giving the police $1.2M for them to return the drugs to him.
The Prosecutor made serious objections to bail being granted to Jarvis on the grounds of quantity of the drugs, the prevalence of the crime, and the penalty the charge attracts.
The Magistrate, after listening to both sides, upheld the Prosecution’s objection and remanded Jarvis to prison.
The father of three was instructed to make his next court appearance on April 18, 2019.
