Chief Magistrate approves extradition for TT man wanted in US on drug charges

A COURT has approved the extradition of a man arrested last year by US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) officers and police on suspicion of smuggling heroin and cocaine into that country.

On July 31, acting Chief Magistrate Christine Charles said she was satisfied the requirements set out under the Extradition (Commonwealth and Foreign Territories) Act had been met by the United States for the extradition of Shurlan Guppy.

The US was represented by Ravi Rajcoomar, SC, Netram Kowlessar and Raydon Dalyrmple-Watts.

On July 30, Charles overruled submissions by Guppy’s attorneys, Mario Merritt, Wayne Sturge and Randal Raphael, who opposed the US’s application for committal in a no-case submission.

The no-case dealt with the chain of custody and identification. However, Charles said the requirements of the Extradition Act were met and she was satisfied that the offences for which Guppy is wanted in the US were “all extraditable.”She also said she examined the evidence and was satisfied it was prima facie admissible to justify his committal for trial for the offences set out in the authority to proceed.

She also said she was satisfied he was the person being sought for extradition.

As she committed him to extradition, Charles advised him of his right to apply for a writ of habeas corpus to challenge the legality of his detention.

He has 16 days to do so.

Guppy, 47, is facing 11 charges of heroin and cocaine, worth US$1 million into Pennsylvania.

He also faces local charges of possessing a firearm, ammunition, and cocaine. Guppy has also been denied bail on those charges.

The charges stemmed from items purportedly discovered at his rented home at Ascot Road, Goodwood Park, Westmoorings, and his Jeep Rubicon.

Guppy was arrested on September 26, 2023, at Ascot Road, Goodwood Park, Westmoorings.

An extradition warrant was issued on September 21, 2023, which led to Guppy’s arrest.

At the time of his arrest, the US Embassy said Guppy faced charges from the US District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania.

In a statement, the embassy said the Trinidad and Tobago Transnational Organised Crime Unit (TOCU) received assistance from its DEA officers in the inquiry that resulted in Guppy’s detention.

The police, in a different statement, said Guppy had been taken into custody by the Southern Division Task Force.

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds expressed gratitude to the DEA and the TOCU.

He said, “US DEA agents in Philadelphia and at the US Embassy started working on this case with us in 2020, culminating in this major arrest and extradition order. I am gratified that our excellent cooperation has led to this arrest. We count on our American partners in law enforcement to assist us in making Trinidad and Tobago safer for our communities.”

US Ambassador Candace Bond said, “I am proud of the painstaking work the US Embassy’s DEA agents do every single day to help end drug trafficking and to strengthen citizen security for the people of TT.”