…jailed for four years, fined $3.3M

A 48-YEAR-OLD United States citizen who was caught at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport trying to smuggle cocaine in his carryon luggage, was sentenced to four years in prison and fined $3.3 million after he pleaded guilty to the offence.

Warren McKi, father of three, pleaded guilty to the charge when it was read to him by Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Providence Magistrate’s Court on Thursday. The charge read that McKi on Wednesday, August 30 had 1.252 kilograms of cocaine in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor, Konyo Sandiford, told the court that the father of three checked in as a passenger on a Fly Jamaica Airlines flight and was destined for JFK. However, when McKi placed his luggage at the airport scanner, suspicious images was observed inside. A CANU officer approached him and requested to examine the said luggage. The officer pierced the back of the suitcase with a metal object and two packets of whitish substance was observed. He was also nabbed with US$2,667, which CANU planned to seize.

In court the unrepresented man explained that he was going through financial difficulties and took the chance to traffic the drugs. He further stressed that he needed the drugs money to send his son to college to study Medical Science. “I moved from Guyana to America fifteen years ago and I’m now an American citizen. Last year my mom die and I used all my life savings for her burial” McKi added as he begged the Magistrate for leniency, since he also have to look after his elderly sister in the US, who suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.

Magistrate Scarce however sentenced McKi to four years imprisonment along with a fine of $3.3M, which is 3X the market value of the drug.