Almost three years after being charged with trafficking over 94 kilograms of cocaine on-board a vessel in the Pomeroon River, two Essequibo residents were sentenced and fined for the crime.
John Da Silva, called ‘Martin’, 45, of Grant Strong Hope, Lower Pomeroon, and Kevin Fitz Gordon, 34, of Lot 18 Jib Housing Scheme, Essequibo, were found guilty of the charge which stated that on July 17, 2017, in the Pomeroon River, they trafficked 94.954 kilogrammes (equivalent to 210 pounds) of cocaine. They were both on trial before Magistrate Esther Sam at the Charity Magis-trate’s Court, who handed down the two-year sentence and the $99,701,700 fine.
During their first appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, both men, who were represented by attorney Mark Waldron, had denied the charge. However, after Magistrate Sam, on Monday, found sufficient evidence against the men, she sentenced each to two years behind bars and a fine of $99,701,700 each.
According to a statement released by the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) days before the men made their first appearance before a court, Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Coast Guard ranks, who were on patrol, came upon the vessel offshore and the men subsequently attempted to flee,
Gordon has also had other run-ins with the law. In 2015, he was arrested by CANU for narcotics though he was acquitted, while in June, 2017, he was arrested again by CANU ranks after being found with a large quantity of US currency in his possession and he was handed over to the Special Organized Crime Unit (SOCU).
In the former case, Gordon was one of four men charged with having cocaine for trafficking after being arrested by anti-narcotic agents during a drop in the city. It was alleged that on January 28, 2015, at Sheriff Street, Georgetown, Gordon, whose address was then given as Lot 320 Section ‘C,’ Turkeyen; Adrian David, 25, of ‘D’ Field, Sophia; Carl Roberts, 27, of 62 Duncan Street, Campbellville and Fabian Gonsalves, of Pomeroon River, had in their possessions 11.150 kilogrammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
Gordon was also separately charged with allegedly having had in his possession 1.084 kilogrammes of cocaine on the same day. The prosecution’s case was that the quartet was caught with the cocaine during an operation conducted by members of CANU on Sheriff Street, where ranks allegedly saw Gordon hand over a five-gallon container to Gonsalves, who was travelling with David and Roberts.
The prosecutor said Gordon, who had arrived in a car, then attempted to walk away but he was intercepted by CANU ranks and told of the suspicion that he was trafficking narcotics.
In the presence of the four men, the five-gallon container was opened and 10 ‘bricks’, suspected to be cocaine, were found. It was also claimed that Gonsalves, David, and Roberts informed the CANU officers that there was another parcel in the bonnet of Gordon’s car, which resulted in the separate charge laid against him.
