A 35-year-old Hadfield Street businesswoman, Lisolette La Cruz, was on Friday granted $400,000 bail after she appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Faith McGusty at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court charged with possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
La Cruz, who operates a small business in Georgetown, pleaded not guilty to the charge which alleges that on 15 October 2025, at David Street, she had in her possession 7.688 kilogrammes of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking.
Her attorney, Dominic Bess, told the court that his client was an innocent mother with no prior criminal record. On the day in question, he said, La Cruz had gone to Skywest Transportation to ship several boxes of goods to Matthew’s Ridge.
According to Bess, La Cruz packed the items in full view of Skywest staff, and the boxes were checked before being sealed—no suspicious items were seen or reported at the time. Later that day, however, she was shocked to learn through social media that a wanted bulletin had been issued for her arrest.
“She immediately contacted counsel and reported to the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU),” Bess told the court, adding that his client denied any knowledge of the illegal substance and that CANU never showed her the suspected drugs during questioning.
The defence argued that the narcotics were not found on La Cruz or in her possession, and that the investigation should have focused on Skywest staff, who handled the packages after she left. Bess asked for reasonable bail, contending that the woman poses no flight risk and had cooperated fully with investigators.
In opposing bail, the CANU prosecutor said that officers acted on intelligence received and visited Skywest, where they discovered two boxes emitting a strong aroma of cannabis. Upon inspection, the boxes were found to contain the suspected narcotics.
The prosecutor said video footage captured La Cruz bringing in the boxes and sealing them in a “particular manner,” which raised suspicions. The drugs, the court heard, were concealed at the bottom of the boxes with air fresheners placed on top to mask the scent.
While the defence maintained that La Cruz only retaped loose boxes, the prosecutor insisted that the video clearly showed her sealing the packages herself. The prosecutor requested that if bail was granted, La Cruz be required to report regularly to the police and surrender her passport.
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