U.S.-based Guyanese caught with cocaine given four years sentence

Ranks of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) on Friday morning intercepted a New York-bound Guyanese with 2.66 kilograms of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.
Dave Gavin Welcome, 42, was an outgoing passenger on a Caribbean Airlines 524 flight destined for the John F Kennedy Airport when the illegal substance was unearthed in false walls of his suitcase. A few hours later, he confessed his guilt and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment.
The Lot 665 East Ruimveldt resident, according to CANU officials, has been under police radar for some time.
Guyana Times International understands that a suspicious object was detected by the law enforcement officers within the suitcase during the scanning process. This prompted CANU ranks to scan the suitcase for the second time and the “darkish” object was again detected; hence, a decision was taken to search the luggage.
During the search, the officers discovered the false walls in the suitcase and subsequently, the white powdery substance was unearthed.
Welcome, a seaman, was taken into the interrogation room where the substance was tested in his presence and proved to be cocaine. He was then questioned.
He reportedly denied having any knowledge of the cocaine, and revealed the names and addresses of a few people, but after checking, CANU officials realised that the places did not exist.
Welcome later on Friday morning appeared before acting Chief Magistrate Priya Sewnarine-Beharry at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts and was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment and a Gy$30,000 fine.
He pleaded guilty to the charge, which stated that on November 9 at CJIA, he was in possession of 2.662 kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
CANU prosecutor Oswald Messiah told the court that about 4:08hrs on Friday, Welcome was about to travel to the U.S. He checked in a suitcase that was secured with a padlock and in the process of it being scanned, a strange object was detected. As a result, Welcome was summoned by a CANU officer, and was instructed to open the padlock. During a search of the suitcase, the cocaine was discovered in the bottom of the suitcase wrapped in black plastic.
Welcome admitted that someone gave him the substance and US$400 to take it to the U.S. and was promised an additional US$8000 upon delivery.   Welcome told the court that he decided to “take a chance”.
“I did it so that I can get finance to expand my small business,” the seaman stated. He also claimed he did it for the betterment of his family while asking the court to be lenient in its ruling.
This is the fifth cocaine bust in recent months at the CJIA. In October, nine persons were taken into custody following the discovery of four kilograms of cocaine in luggage in the baggage ramp, minutes before it was about to be loaded onto a flight bound for the John F Kennedy Airport, New York.
Later, five American citizens were busted with more than two kilograms of cocaine stashed in their crotches. They were all remanded to prison by Magistrate Leslie Sobers at the Providence Magistrate’s Court after pleading not guilty.
Another American citizen was sentenced to four years’ imprisonment after she pleaded guilty to trafficking cocaine, which was found in her genitalia.