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Fisherman in guns-for-drugs trade gets a total of 34 years in prison

Published:Friday | February 11, 2022 | 3:24 PM
Garnell Goldson, 45, has been described by police investigators as a “major player” in the guns-for-drug trade.

A Jamaican fisherman who was held with two illegal guns and US$64,000 minutes after he returned from a guns-for-drug mission to Haiti has been sentenced to a total of 34 years in prison.

Garnell Goldson, 45, has been described by police investigators as a “major player” in the guns-for-drug trade.

He was sentenced in the High Court last Friday after he pled guilty to two counts each of illegal possession of firearm and ammunition, possession of cocaine and possession of criminal property.

Goldson was ordered to serve eight years for each firearm, five years for the ammunition, five years for the cocaine and three years for the cash.

However, he will only serve eight years because the court ordered that the sentences be served concurrently.

Goldson, who is from High Street in Port Royal in Kingston, was surprised by detectives from the police Narcotics Division at the JamWorld Fishing Village in Portmore, St Catherine shortly after 9pm on April 14 last year, prosecutors disclosed.

He admitted to the cops that he had just arrived from Haiti.

The police reported that during a search the two guns, 13 rounds of assorted bullets, 11 pounds of cocaine and US$64,000 [J$9.5 million] were found.

Investigators believe the items were the proceeds from the shipment of a large quantity of ganja.

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