AN Annandale, East Coast Demerara fisherman, was, on Tuesday, sentenced to one month in prison and fined $235,200 for smuggling chicken into Guyana to evade restrictions and the payment of duties to the Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA).
Ishwarie Jeffery, called “Warrie” was found guilty of the offence and was sentenced by Magistrate Annette Singh at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.
The facts of the matter alleged that in October 2020, Jeffery was intercepted on Mandela Avenue, Georgetown, in the vicinity of the National Cultural Centre with 28 bags of foreign chicken legs quarters in motor vehicle GNN 5710. This matter was prosecuted by GRA’s Head of Law Enforcement and lawyer, Jason Moore, while Jeffery was represented by attorney-at-law, Gary Ramlochan.

In March, three other persons were convicted on similar charges after they were nabbed smuggling chicken, alcohol and mosquito coils.
The GRA and officers from its Law Enforcement and Investigation Division (LEID), over the years, have cracked down on persons carrying uncustomed and restricted goods with the intent to evade the restrictions and duties.
If the smuggled chicken had evaded law enforcement and was dispatched to various sellers and supermarkets, consumers would have been placed at a major health risk.
Bacteria via contaminated or spoilt chicken can provoke a number of symptoms within 72 hours of exposure and could last for four to seven days, necessitating hospitalisation in some cases. Infection with salmonella could be life-threatening, especially to those with weak immune systems, such as infants and the elderly.