Wednesday, November 22, 2006

by Ivan Cairo
Caribbean Net News Suriname Correspondent
Email: ivan@caribbeannetnews.com

PARAMARIBO, Suriname: Judicial authorities in Suriname have released the three Guyanese men that were captured in June along with controversial businessman, Shaheed Roger Khan.

Sean Belfield, Paul Rodrigues and Lloyd Roberts were brought before Public Prosecutor, Nirmala Maikoe, on Tuesday morning, who informed them that all the charges against them had been dropped and that they were being released.

However, the prosecutor ordered their detention since the three men entered Suriname illegally. Belfield, Rodrigues and Roberts are currently being held at a police station pending their deportation.

“The deportation will take place as soon as possible,” a source within the judiciary disclosed. It is reported, however, that the suspects will be handed over Wednesday to the Guyanese police.

Meanwhile Roger Khan’s lawyers in Suriname have communicated the latest development to Khan’s attorneys in the United States of America, where he is due to stand trial for alleged importation of cocaine.

Roger Khan and his fellow countrymen, along with several Surinamese individuals, were captured in June during a drug bust that netted over 200 kilos of cocaine. They were initially charged with drug trafficking, illegal arms possession and belonging to a criminal organisation.

Ultimately, the charges against Khan were dropped and he was subsequently deported on June 29. En route to Guyana, however, he was intercepted in Trinidad and Tobago by US drugs officials and whisked away to the US to stand trial.

Since then the controversial Guyanese businessman has been fighting legal battles in Suriname, Trinidad and the United States.

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