Surinamese national 55-year-old Ifna Magda Pinas appeared in the Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday for an arraignment, but it was postponed due to a language barrier.

The lawyer, originally planned to represent Pinas, found out that she only spoke a Creole dialect called “Taki Taki”- a mixture of Dutch and English. 

In addition, Pinas did not have a counselor representative from Suriname in court. 

With no interpreter or proper legal representation, Magistrate Andrew Forbes rescheduled the arraignment for today at 2 p.m.  

Pinas will face four drug related charges, which includes conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent supply, conspiracy to import dangerous drug, possession of dangerous drug with intent to supply and importation of dangerous drugs. 

It’s alleged that on September 6 and 15, she conspired to possess and import a quantity of dangerous drugs, namely cocaine, with intent to supply.

According to police, Pinas arrived in The Bahamas via Copa Airlines from Panama and was refused entry by Bahamas Immigration. She was transported to the Detention Center where she was processed and searched and found in possession of eleven packages of suspected cocaine. 

Police said the drugs weighed 10.4 pounds and has a street value of $68,000.