Muntslag to join Bouterse in the USA to Stand Trial
Edmund Muntslag to join son of Surinamese President, Dino Bouterse, in the USA to Stand Trial for Drug Trafficking
EDMUND QUINCY MUNTSLAG was committed yesterday to be extradited from Trinidad and Tobago to the USA to stand trial along with Dino Delano Bouterse, the son of Surinamese President Desi Bouterse, for the offence of conspiracy to traffic large quantities of cocaine.
Bouterse was previously imprisoned for large-scale international drug and arms trafficking and was also accused of accepting millions of dollars to establish an illegal base of operations in his home country for the militant group Hezbollah. He was arrested in Panama in August 2013 and handed over to US authorities.
On August 29th 2013, Attorney General Anand Ramlogan SC instructed the Central Authority Unit to proceed with a request by the USA for the arrest of Bouterse’s accomplice and co-conspirator, Muntslag who was expected to enter Trinidad and Tobago.
A Provisional Warrant of Arrest was obtained from the Court and handed over to the Organized Crime, Firearm and Narcotics Bureau, resulting in Muntslag’s immediate arrest.
On Thursday 8th October, Chief Magistrate Ms. Marcia Ayers-Caesar sitting in the Port of Spain 8th Magistrates Court in the extradition proceedings, upheld submissions made by the Central Authority and Ministry of the Attorney General.
Muntslag was represented by Keith Scotland and Asha Watkins whilst Head of the Central Authority Unit Netram Kowlessar, Jagdeo Singh and Kylene Deosingh, represented the interests of the United States Government.
This stands as another victory for the office of the Attorney General and the Central Authority in the co-ordination of efforts with their international counterparts in the fight against transnational drugs and arms trafficking.
The Attorney General remains deeply committed to working with law enforcement agencies across the Caribbean and other international bodies to confront and fight the scourge of crime.
MINISTRY OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL
REPUBLIC OF TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO
9th January 2015