A former national cyclist of Lot 54 Durban Street Lodge, Georgetown on Tuesday appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts to answer to drug possession charges.
Quami Abudu Mbili Cumberbatch, 26, pleaded guilty to the charges, which stated that between January 28 and 29, 2016 he had in his possession 194 grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
Police Persecutor Deniro Jones told the court that on the day in question at about 05:30hrs, the defendant was an outgoing passenger at the Ogle Airport on a Liat flight bound for Barbados.
The Prosecutor said that ranks from the Narcotics Branch were carrying out a routine search and conducted an examination of the defendant since he was acting in a suspicious manner.
The ranks found hidden in the defendants underwear 46 pellets rapped in a zip lock plastic.
The defendant was told of the offense, cautioned and arrested. He later admitted ownership of the drugs and told the ranks that he had ingested an additional quantity of pellets.
He was subsequently rushed to the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) where on January 30, 2016, he excreted 16 pellets containing cocaine.
In plea of mitigation, Attorney-at-law Charlene Fung-a-Fat told the court that her client was a national cyclist, who took an opportunity trying to help his family. She urged the court to have leniency in sentencing her client, requesting the minimum penalty.
Magistrate McLennan fined the accused $873,000. which is the street value of the drugs and also sentenced him to 3 years in prison.
