Drug recruiter jailed , fined $3.3M
Jailed: Kelvin Sauers
Jailed: Kelvin Sauers

Two weeks after a 19-year-old girl was jailed for swallowing cocaine pellets, her alleged recruiter was on Thursday sentenced to 4-years jail with a $3.3M fine after pleading guilty to trafficking over three pounds of cocaine.

Kelvin Sauers known as “John” appeared before Magistrate Peter Hugh at the Vigilance Magistrate’s Court after recently turning himself in to the Custom Anti-narcotics Unit (CANU) following  the issuance of a wanted bulletin for his arrest.

Sauers admitted that on July 6, 2018 at Enterprise, East Coast Demerara he trafficked 1.608 kilograms of cocaine which was in his possession.

The unrepresented 23-year-old mason begged the court for leniency since he noted that he has a 2-year-old son and is the sole breadwinner for his family.

CANU prosecutor, Konyo Sandiford noted that officers were able to make the bust at Saurers’ Enterprise , East Coast Demerara home following the arrest of Anisha Hardy, who was arrested at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on July 6 after allegedly consuming 119 cocaine pellets.

The teen was later placed before a city court and sentenced to three years’ jail along with a $1.4M fine. The teenager had confessed that Saurers gave her the drugs and provided an address where she met with him and was given the drugs.

When CANU officers arrived at the Enterprise home later that day on July 6, Saurers was seen jumping from the window and he made good his escape.

The home was searched and a haversack was found with 279 pellets of cocaine which amounted to 1.608 kilograms of cocaine along with instruments used to make the pellets.

Subsequently, an arrest warrant was issued for Saurers and his relative Mark Sauers called ‘Marco.’ On July 24, Kelvin Sauers turned himself over to ranks at CANU while the charge was dropped against his relative.

Before sentencing, Magistrate Hugh noted that based upon the prosecution facts, the crime committed was well organised since it involved a 19-year-old teen ingesting illicit drugs.

Kelvin Sauers was sentenced to four years jail with three times the market value of the drug which is $3.3M.

Earlier this month, a 37-year-old drug mule was also sentenced to three years ‘jail after confessing to trafficking cocaine, subsequent to being arrested by CANU at the airport.

Natasha Blair of Grove Housing Scheme was sentenced by the Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan for trafficking 532 grams of cocaine at CJIA.

Blair was also an outgoing passage on a Caribbean Airlines flight destined for JFK International Airport, New York and was travelling with her 11-month-old daughter.

However, while checking in at the CJIA, she was nabbed by a CANU officer and was taken to a city hospital and subjected to an X-ray which showed foreign objects in her stomach and pelvic area. She excreted 32 pellets containing cocaine which weighed 322 grams and 210 grams was extracted from her.

The prosecutor added that Blair told ranks in a caution statement that she did it because she needed the money for herself and her child.

 

Following a drug bust earlier this year, CANU had issued a statement noting that “irrespective of life’s challenges civilians must recognise that the narcotic trade must never be an option. The narcotic trade is harmful to the traffickers, its users and everyone connected to them.”

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