A SEAMAN from The Dominican Republic, was, on Friday, sentenced to four years, six months behind bars after he pleaded guilty to trafficking $14 million worth of cannabis, while his two Guyanese co-accused were remanded to prion.

Fredy Diaz Cabrera, a 56-year-old whose local address was given as Montrose, East Coast Demerara; the mother of his child, Epiphany McLennan called “Tiffany” of ‘B’ Field Sophia and Eustace Rodrigues called “Fine-Man”, 45, of Albouystown appeared before Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court.

Cabrera and McLennan were charged jointly for trafficking 16.046 kilograms of cannabis, on January 19, at Guyana National Industrial Company Incorporated (GNIC) Wharf on Lombard Street, Georgetown. Cabrera opted to plead guilty to the charge, while McLennan, in entering a not guilty plea, told the court she knew nothing about the narcotics.

Rodriguez was charged separately. He denied that, on January 18, 2022, at his Albouystown home, he had the said amount of cannabis in his possession for the purpose of trafficking.

Cabrera in his address to the court, claimed that he met with Rodrigues on January 18, at Albouystown, and was allegedly given the cannabis to traffick to Barbados.

In his plea for leniency, he disclosed that he previously served a two-year sentence in a United States prison for trafficking cocaine, but was released early in 2001.

After considering his plea, the magistrate sentenced him to serve four years, six months in prison together with a fine of $14 million. Rodriguez and McLennan were later remanded to prison until February 25.

A release from the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) had stated that ranks attached to the Special Operations Section were conducting a narcotics operation onboard a foreign-registered vessel on Wednesday, January 19, which was slated to leave Port Georgetown later in the day with a shipment of cement.

However, during the search, CANU ranks unearthed parcels of suspected cannabis throughout the vessel.

The parcels, along with the vessel’s 19 member crew which included Cabrera, were taken to the CANU headquarters, where the narcotic was tested and confirmed to be marijuana – a foreign type known as ” creepy ” with a total weight of 16.046 kgs (36 lbs.)

The street value of the drug is approximately $14M (US$68,293) which would have increased if the drug had reached its intended destination.