BEAUTY ON COKE CHARGE

Miss Guyana Arrested At Pearson

A former Miss Guyana beauty queen who represented her country in last
year's Miss Universe pageant has been arrested at Pearson airport for
alleged drug smuggling.

RCMP Sgt. Gary Harvey said a woman was arrested early Wednesday at Terminal
3 after arriving on an Air Transat flight from Georgetown, Guyana.

Harvey said seven kilos of cocaine, worth about $1 million, was found in
the false sides of a suitcase and inside three bottles of skin cream and
lotion.

He said the seizure occurred after a suspect was referred for a secondary
check and her luggage was X-rayed.

Customs spokesman Mark Butler said his officer became suspicious of the
suspect's behaviour.

"There were certain indicators present," Butler said. "Our officer felt
something wasn't right."

Mia Rahaman, 23, of Sir Raymond Dr., Scarborough, has been charged with
importing a controlled substance.

Her case was remanded at a bail hearing in Brampton yesterday.

Rahaman was crowned Miss Guyana in April last year and was in the Miss
Universe contest in Puerto Rico.

A promoter for car and motorcycle races in Guyana, Rahaman also represented
that country at last year's Caribana parade.

Immigration officials said she is a landed immigrant and will likely be
deported to Guyana if convicted of the offence.

Members of the Guyanese community in Toronto said the suspect comes from a
prominent family and is a celebrity in that country.