An office assistant of the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court, who said he tried to smuggle cocaine to the Cayman Islands to help his sisters, was yesterday sentenced to four years in jail.
Acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry handed down the sentence in a hushed courtroom filled to capacity with Terry DeFreitas’ weeping co-workers, who heard that on January 26, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, he had in his possession 1.044 kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking. DeFreitas, 29, who pleaded guilty, admitted to swallowing 86 pellets filled with the cocaine.
“It was a sacrifice I was making for me and my sisters,” the unrepresented DeFreitas, who seemed dazed, calmly responded when asked the reason for him committing the offence. “I will pay the price,” he added, while begging for lenience in the sentencing.
During sentencing, Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry, noting that DeFreitas was an employee of the court system, said by his action he had brought great disgrace to it. His co-workers, who wore sad expressions, meanwhile lamented the case and his actions.
Oswald Massiah, Special Prosecutor of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), said that on the day of the bust, DeFreitas was supposed to have been on duty for work at the court but was preparing to leave the country instead. Massiah related that at approximately 4:30 am, having booked a flight for the Cayman Islands via Barbados and Jamaica, DeFreitas arrived at the airport with a travelling bag containing a few pieces of clothing.
Massiah said the very vigilant CANU officer on-duty checked DeFreitas’ bag and became suspicious after enquiring about his destination. This, the court heard, led to DeFreitas being arrested and taken into CANU’s office for further questioning, and subsequently to a hospital because of the answers he had given.
At the hospital, an x-ray examination revealed strange objects in DeFreitas’ stomach that were later excreted and found to be 86 pellets, amounting to 1.044 kilogrammes of cocaine. When asked, Massiah said, DeFreitas admitted to swallowing them in a bid to transport same to the Cayman Islands to be excreted there.
Before handing down sentence, Magistrate Sewnarine-Beharry explained that the court had taken into consideration both the aggravating and mitigating circumstances.
The mitigating circumstances, she said, were that DeFreitas pleaded guilty to the charge in first instance, thereby saving the court considerable time in otherwise having to conduct a trial. She, however, noted that while he had asked for lenience, he was not remorseful and that the illegal substance had only been found after he was intercepted by CANU.
The aggravating circumstances, the Magistrate added, included the method of concealment used; that is, swallowing the illegal substance. Further, she noted his age and the fact that he is taken to know the consequences of his actions in addition to the seriousness and prevalence of the offence.
In addition to the four-year prison sentence, DeFreitas was also ordered to pay a fine of $30,000.
DeFreitas was teary-eyed as he was escorted from the courtroom with his colleagues slowly following behind before they returned to their respective workstations in the building.
