A case of Appleton Rum....it sells for $840 but this particular case, which is contraband is causing no end of worries for the Police Department, and specifically the second in charge of the Eastern Division, Senior Superintendent Robert Mariano. 7NEWS has confirmed that on Saturday, Customs officials found the box inside Mariano’s police issue SUV.
The case is connected to three boxes of contraband cigarettes which Customs found in the possession of Corozaleno Israel Rancharan – a man who is well known to the Customs Department and known to Mariano. Both men are under investigation and the boxes of contraband are being held at the investigation branch of the Customs Department. And while Rancharan is reportedly cooperating in the investigation, Senior Superintendent Mariano’s status is a little more dicey.
So far this is what we have been able to find out: on Saturday Customs officers were conducting surveillance on Rancharan and saw him deposit the case of rum which was in a plastic bag inside Mariano’s vehicle in the Coney Drive Area. The Customs officers stopped Mariano shortly after and found the contraband in the vehicle. He reportedly claimed to know nothing
about it. The liquor was confiscated and police also caught up with Israel Rancharan, which is when they got the cigarettes. Rancharan has told Customs in a statement that He delivered the rum to Mariano.
So then...Senior Lawman busted with contraband, and end of story right? Not quite, not at all really. Seems to us that police are protecting their own and Customs also isn’t eager to put down a fellow law enforcer.
Today Comptroller Gregory Gibson told us and this is a quote: “by virtue of the interception and the fact that Rancharan appeared to have delivered something to Mariano, Customs is looking at him to be a witness in regard to the importation of the contraband item.” And while, he appears to
be more than a witness, it seems that in this case, truth is a moving target because according to Mariano’s boss, the Officer Commanding Eastern Division David Henderson it was all part of a sting operation.
Our Keith Swift asked him about it yesterday, and he had a disturbingly different account.
Sr. Supt., David Henderson, O.C., Eastern Division
“Well, I do know that a fellow from Corozal is a well known person involved in contraband. I know that there were investigations being done by this department and Customs. In fact, one of the things, we have gotten certain information as to some involvement. Mr. Mariano had made contact with the person because of some other person involvement and I noticed prior to this person being busted by Customs he had spoken to Mr. Mariano and I know that after he spoke to Mr. Mariano he left and he was being picked up and certain things were retrieved from him.”
Keith Swift,
Was it a case of rum?
Sr. Supt. David Henderson,
“Yes, a case of rum and some other things were retrieved from him.”
Suffice to say there are a number of inconsistencies in that statement, most notably Henderson omits to mention that the contraband rum was found inside Mariano’s police issued vehicle. Whatever the case, the Commissioner of Police has launched an investigation and today Assistant Commissioner of Police Allen Whylie went to the Customs Department to gather some facts. When we called him, he could not comment on any specifics, but would only say there is an allegation of handling contraband and he is looking into it. We’ll keep a close eye on this one and let you know where it goes.
