MAGISTRATE Leron Daly on Monday sentenced a 31-year-old Enmore, East Coast Demerara businessman to five years imprisonment after he was found guilty of having over 200 pounds of cocaine in frozen fish in his possession for the purpose of trafficking. Kapil Haresh Thakurian was also fined a total of $237.6M, which is three times the street value of the illegal substance. The court heard that on August 9, 2016, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Thakurian had in his possession 88.200 kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
The magistrate said that she is satisfied with the evidence presented by prosecutor, Bharat Mangru. Meanwhile, his lawyer, Peter Hugh, orally notified the court that he would appeal the conviction and sentence.
According to a police report, on the day in question, the police narcotics branch intercepted and seized a cargo shipment of 35 boxes of seafood, eight of which contained a total of 88.2 kilos of cocaine. The shipment was intended for New York through a local air-cargo service.