Venezuelan captain Irashy Zapata, who pleaded guilty to fishing illegally in Guyana’s waters, had the 500 kilogrammes of fish found in his boat at the time of his arrest confiscated.
At the Magistrates’ Court in New Amsterdam, Zapata, in a plea agreement through interpreter Sharon Balasar, admitted that he had been fishing in local waters without a valid foreign fishing vessel licence. The catch was valued at $494,000.
After Zapata pleaded guilty to the charge, the court ordered that the fishing vessel, along with its relevant documents, be returned to him. Venezuelan Ambassador to Guyana Dario Morandy, attending the mid-morning hearings in the Ancient County, undertook to have him returned to their homeland.
According to the police, Zapata, along with his six-member crew, on January 19 last, were intercepted 38 nautical miles north of the Berbice River mouth by the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard. He was arrested and taken to the Ruimveldt Police Station, prior to his appearance before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine–Beharry in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, where he pleaded not guilty. He was denied bail prior to being transferred to the New Amsterdam Court, where he changed his plea.
