Ex-parliamentarian cleared of drug trafficking allegations

Devin Sears, formerly an AFC parliamentarian, was acquitted at the Linden Magistrates' Court after prosecutors failed to establish a case against him.

Ex-parliamentarian cleared of drug trafficking allegations

Devin Sears, who previously served as a legislator for the Alliance For Change, secured his freedom on Thursday when the presiding magistrate ruled there was insufficient evidence to proceed. His barristers, Nigel Hughes and Kishwana Jefford, had argued that the prosecution's case did not hold water. Magistrate Rushell Liverpool agreed and dismissed the matter at the Linden Magistrates' Court.

The accusations dated back to October 2025, when officers conducting roadside checks at Bamia in Region 10 stopped a vehicle carrying Sears and another passenger. During the patrol near the Old Bamia checkpoint, ranks discovered roughly 310 kilograms of suspected cannabis inside a dark blue Toyota Hiace bearing registration BAJ 4486. The minivan was registered to the Region #10 Tourism Committee.

Sears, aged 39 and hailing from Mackenzie, Linden, worked as an educator and political campaigner. He was driving at the time. Beside him sat Albert Sandy, a 69-year-old agriculturalist from Tacama on the Upper Berbice River. Inside the vehicle, officers found twenty-two oversized black plastic sacks and four large brown canvas bags stuffed with plant matter believed to be ganja.

Sandy took full responsibility, insisting the contraband was his alone and that he had merely paid Sears for transportation to Parika.

Speaking to reporters afterward, Sears described the ruling as vindication after a painful chapter for his loved ones. He praised the magistrate for weighing the facts impartially and expressed appreciation toward his counsel, family, and backers. He also noted the professional conduct of certain police personnel who oversaw him during the roughly three-week period he was held without bail.

Source: Kaieteur News

Source: Kaieteur News