By Susan Forrest, Staff Writer
A Queens man, described by Nassau police as a “primary player” in the smuggling of Guyanese people into the United States, surrendered to detectives in Elmont yesterday and was charged in connection with the kidnapping of a Guyanese woman, authorities said.
Taxi driver , 44, of 111-43 127 th St., South Ozone Park, became the third suspect to be charged with the second-degree kidnapping of Parbattie Baichu, 26, of Guyana, said Fifth Squad Det. Lt. Ronald Mueller. Baichu, abducted June 30 when she arrived at Kennedy Airport from Guyana, was rescued by Nassau police on July 2 in a parking lot of a West Hempstead restaurant. The first of the three alleged kidnappers, all of whom are Guyanese, was arrested there.
pleaded not guilty yesterday in First District Court, Hempstead, and was ordered held on $250,000 bail by Judge John Galasso. Also a primary player in the illegal transportation of Guyanese people into the U.S.,” Mueller said. “It appears to be a pretty widespread smuggling operation and our information is that there may be many more people involved.
Mueller added that Nassau police are turning over all their information to the U.S. Immigration and Naturalization service in Manhattan.
Queens lawyer, Todd Greenberg, yesterday said his client denies the kidnapping charge and added that had been negotiating to surrender to Nassau police for a week and that prosecutors agreed to ask for only $25,000 bail. The prosecutor did in fact request $25,000 at the arraignment yesterday but the judge set bail at $250,000.00.
Two other men have been at the Nassau jail since their arrests in the kidnapping of Baichu, whose family, police said, paid smugglers $2,000 to have her smuggled into the United States to join her sister on Long Island. The smugglers then held her for an additional $8,500, police said.
