Canadian traveller jailed over cocaine in milk, Chinese food

A Canadian national was yesterday sentenced to four years in jail after he admitted to trying to smuggle almost 30 pounds of cocaine hidden in powdered milk and frozen Chinese food onto a flight out of the country.

Miguel Sardinha, 53, of Ontario, Canada, pleaded guilty when the charge of possession of narcotics for trafficking was read to him by Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court 2.

Apart from the sentence, Magistrate McLennan also ordered Sardinha to pay a fine of $35,278,200, which is equivalent to three times the street value of the cocaine.

The charge against the man stated that on October 8th, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri, he had 13 kilogrammes of cocaine for trafficking in his possession.

According to the Customs and Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), Sardinha was an outgoing passenger booked to travel on a Caribbean Airlines flight destined for Pearson International Airport on Thursday night. However, after he placed his suitcase on the scanner during a security check, a CANU officer on duty observed suspicious objects.

A search that was conducted in the presence of Sardinha subsequently uncovered the cocaine in five packages of powdered milk and two frozen parcels of Chinese friend rice.

Sardinha was told of the offence, arrested and cautioned and he then admitted to having knowledge of the drugs in the suitcase.

He said he was offered a trip to Guyana to transport the drugs but never knew the amount he would have carry.

Sardinha, who told the court he stayed at the Sleepin Hotel while in Guyana, was unrepresented throughout the court proceedings.

When asked if he had anything to say, Sardinha said he had had a seizure when he agreed to carry the drugs but took full responsibility for his actions. “…I was suffering from a seizure at the time the arrangement was made but despite this I know it was there,” he said. “They put it in there, I didn’t. I never seen the suitcase before until I reach the airport,” he added.