A man who admitted he trafficked a quantity of cocaine in a fire extinguisher and who told the court that his three co-accused friends had no knowledge of the drug was today sentenced to 48 months imprisonment and fined $5.1M.
Dinesh Dias, 28, also known as Anil, was jointly charged with Anthony Collins, called Black Boy, 31; Seenarine Mathura, called Desi, 43; and Mohamed Insha, 48.
It is alleged that the four men on April 23, 2019 at lot 26 Timehri, East Bank Demerara, trafficked 1.8 kilogrammes of cocaine.
When the matter was called this morning before Senior Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Providence Magistrates’ Court, Dias pleaded guilty to the charge while his co-accused denied the charge.
Dias also admitted that, on the same day in question, he had 1.89 grams of cannabis in his possession. He was fined $15,000 or one week imprisonment for the possession of cannabis.
As a result of Dias’ guilty plea, Custom Anti-narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor, Konyo Sandiford, asked that the charge be withdrawn against the other men. The court obliged.
When given a chance to address the court, Dias stated that he resides at the address where the drug was discovered and this his friends, the co-accused, had no knowledge of the cocaine and the cannabis being there.
According to Sandiford, on the day in question the four men were arrested during a raid at lot 26 Timehri, East Bank Demerara home. It was reported that the cocaine-filled fire extinguisher was expected to be placed on an aircraft at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, destined for an international destination.
Magistrate Scarce, in handing down his ruling, noted the prevalence of the offence and the need to prohibit others from contemplating similar offences. He also highlighted the fact that Dias pleaded guilty on his first court appearance and the manner in which the drug was concealed in the fire extinguisher.
Hence, Dias was sentenced to 48 months behind bars and fined $5.1M.
