Dwayne Fraser also known as Nigel James and ‘Fat Man,’ 39, of Bagotstown and Mocha Arcadia and Joshylan Congreaves, 47, of K 19 Tucville, were both sentenced to four years in jail yesterday for attempting to smuggle cocaine to Thailand.
The sentence and fines of $30,000 each were handed down by Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, where both men were found guilty after a trial that lasted over a year. The prosecution, according to the Chief Magis-trate, proved beyond reasonable doubt that Fraser and Congreaves were guilty of the offence.
Fraser and Congreaves were charged in July 2012 with possession of 1.726 kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
It was alleged that on July 3 2012, at the Cheddi Jagan International Air-port, Timehri, Fraser and Congreaves were attempting to export eight boxes food stuff via AmeriJet International Inc, including boxes that contained cocaine, which were intended to be trafficked to Thailand.
The cocaine, according to Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor Oswald Massiah, was concealed between eight boxes of goods that were destined for Thailand. It was after the boxes were abandoned at the CJIA that an investigation by CANU ranks uncovered the hidden cocaine.
Massiah asked the courts to visit both men with the maximum penalty, while their attorneys begged for leniency, saying they both have families.
The Chief Magistrate, in sentencing them, considered, among other things, the six weeks they spent as prisoners on remand, their unblemished records, and the seriousness and prevalence of the offence. The Chief Magistrate also took into account the fact that the cocaine was going to be shipped to another country.
They were then sentenced to four years imprisonment and fined $30,000 each as shocked relatives looked on. Fraser and Congreaves stood at attention and showed very little emotion at their sentencing.
