British nationals fined $600,000 for cocaine possession

Christopher Thomas, Gleaner Writer

WESTERN BUREAU:

Two British nationals, who are cousins, were slapped with a combined total of $600,000 in fines when they appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Monday, after pleading guilty to the charge of attempting to smuggle liquid cocaine last May.

Twenty-nine-year-old Jaharie Silvera, a sales representative, and his 27-year-old cousin, René Henriquez, both of London addresses, were also each sentenced to six months' imprisonment, suspended for 12 months.

Silvera and Henriquez had initially pleaded not guilty to the charges of possession of, dealing in, and attempting to export cocaine. However, they changed their plea to guilty when they last appeared in court on July 3.

bag search

The facts are that on May 11, 2013, at approximately 2:30 p.m., Silvera and Henriquez were seen at the Sangster International Airport, Montego Bay, with travelling bags, which were searched by officers on duty at the airport.

Silvera's bag was found to contain 10 plastic bottles which had a green-and-blue liquid substance in them, while Henriquez's bag had five bottles of a similar substance. Subsequent tests revealed that Silvera's bottles had one pound and 13 ounces of cocaine in them, while Henriquez's bottles had over 14 ounces of cocaine. Both men were arrested and charged.

When the cousins appeared in court on Monday, presiding magistrate Wilson Smith gave each of them similar sentences for each charge.

Silvera and Henriquez were each ordered to pay a fine of $100,000 or spend six months in prison for possession of cocaine, and $200,000 or six months for attempting to export cocaine. Both men were admonished and discharged on the charge of dealing in cocaine.