A British national who swallowed 34 pellets of cocaine with the intention of exporting the narcotics to improve his financial situation was yesterday sentenced to four years imprisonment and ordered to pay a fine of $30,000 when he made his appearance at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
Sinclair Akoto, 25, accepted the narcotics trafficking charge which stated that on June 22 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport he had in his possession 484 grammes of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
After reading the charge to the defendant, acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry explained to him that the offence carries a minimum term of imprisonment of three years together with $30,000 fine and a maximum of five years imprisonment.
The young man who described what he did as being “a very bad mistake,” said that he was prepared to face the consequences of his actions. He told the court that his decision to traffic the illegal substance was made because of his financial circumstances.
Before being sentenced, Akoto who said he works in the film industry as a freelancer begged for leniency as he expressed remorse for his actions.
The magistrate then handed down the four-year prison sentence together with the order for the $30,000 fine.
Special Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) prosecutor Oswald Massiah who presented the facts of the case said that on the day in question the defendant was an outgoing passenger returning home to London when he was nabbed with the drugs.
Massiah explained that at about 4.15 am, the young man arrived at the airport in order to board Liat Flight 774 when at the check-in queue he was observed by a CANU officer acting in an unusually uneasy manner.
This prompted the officer to approach the defendant with whom he had a brief conversation regarding his stay here and to ascertain his reason for acting uneasy. According to the prosecutor, the young man told the officer that the night before he “smoked marijuana.”
The court then heard that further discussions caused the officer to become more suspicious at which point he told the Akoto that he was under suspicion of having ingested cocaine and he denied this but cooperated in having a medical examination done.
He was subsequently arrested and taken to a medical institution in the city where he was kept for two days before excreting the cocaine. While at the institution, an x-ray which was performed revealed foreign objects. It was at this point that he admitted to swallowing 34 cocaine pellets before going to the airport that morning.
A test later carried out by an analyst confirmed the substance to be cocaine. After being weighed, it amounted to 484 grammes.
Massiah further told the court that the defendant’s passport revealed that he had travelled to Guyana on six occasions from July 11, 2011 to May 27 this year.
Massiah in his application to the court said that while the court may not want to visit the defendant with the maximum penalty; the minimum should not be given to him either.
When asked by the magistrate his purpose for coming to Guyana on the different dates, Akoto said that he had a girlfriend here whom he was dating.
Further, when asked by the court if anyone knew the street value of the drugs, the prosecutor responded in the negative.
In handing down the sentence, the magistrate noted that the court had taken account of both the mitigating and aggravating circumstances. The mitigating circumstances, she explained, were that the defendant pleaded guilty to the charge at the first opportunity; thus saving the court considerable time by not having to conduct a trial. She said too that he seemed to be remorseful over his action.
The aggravating circumstances on the other hand, she stated, were the seriousness and prevalence of the offence, the quantum of the drug being trafficked, his age and that he ought to know the consequences of his actions and his method of concealment of the drugs.
Additionally, after hearing the case, the presiding magistrate explained to the press that while some magistrates may fine defendants in excess of $30,000, that is done when the street value of the drug is given to the court. In this case, however, no one could give the street value.
Akoto requested of the magistrate that he be sent to the Camp Street prison. She explained to him that he can make that application to the Director of Prisons as they have to decide where prisoners are kept and not the court.
