Dexter Lewis

A Kittitian national, Dexter Lewis, and a Guyanese were caught on Sunday, May 30, attempting to smuggle drugs, a gun and ammunition from Guyana to St. Kitts via a LIAT flight out of the Cheddi Jagan International Airport.

According to Guyana’s Stabroek News, the pair, Guyanese Adrian Beckles and ‘Pilikin’ Lewis, checked luggage which contained 1 kilogram 109 grams of cocaine, a Magnum revolver and 15 rounds of 9mm ammunition.

Information reaching this media house was that Lewis, along with his Guyanese wife and their child left St. Kitts recently bound for Guyana. It was uncertain if Beckles was a part of the travel group at that time. Lewis and Beckles were scheduled to return to St. Kitts last Sunday when at about 10.25 a.m. Special Constables manning the baggage scanner at the Guyana airport discovered the items concealed in the baggage. Three other persons were also arrested in connection to the find, but their names were not released.

The Observer understands that Lewis, of Lime Kiln, had previously resided in the United States for several years before returning home. He is also known to have recently been residing in Nevis.

The duo pled “not guilty” before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton earlier this week. Attorney Adrian Thompson made a bail application on 37-year-old Lewis’s behalf, which the Magistrate denied.

As reported in the Stabroek News, “In presenting special reasons for bail, Thompson said that the items in the charges were not found on Lewis or in his possession; rather they were found in Beckles’ luggage and he had told the police that Lewis had given them to him. The attorney pointed out that there is no evidence against his client and he has been charged based on what Beckles told the police.”

When making her objection to bail, Police Prosecutor Shaundel Daniels claimed that Lewis admitted to police that he gave the contraband goods to Beckles, and that Lewis was considered a flight risk. Prosecutor Daniels then made an application for Beckles to be remanded after the magistrate granted her objection to bail.

Both men have been remanded to prison and the matter transferred to the Providence, Guyana, Magistrate’s Court for Monday, June 7, when the jointly-charged pair will answer to the charges of possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking, illegal possession of a firearm, and illegal possession of ammunition.

A previous edition of this article erroneously stated that both Lewis and Beckles were Kittitian natives.