Dominica: Venezuelans given lengthy jail sentences on drug charges
Five Venezuelan nationals were sentenced to a total of 38 years in prison on Monday after pleading guilty to cocaine possession and trafficking.
The Venezuelans, Hector Louis Ramerez, 33, Daike Jose Herrera Ramerez, 19, and Daniel Jose Rivas Herrera, Pedro Celestino Ramos, and Yhorbby Jose Rosario, 27 years old, appeared before Acting Chief Magistrate Gloria Augustus on accusations of fraudulent declarations under the Customs Act.
They pleaded guilty and were sentenced to 18 years in prison in addition to the narcotics trafficking and possession charges.
The five guys had 5,361.4 grams of cocaine with an estimated street value of EC$143,407.80, according to the Magistrate Court.
The males landed in Dominica from Barbados on August 20 and were brought into prison based on intelligence, according to the prosecution, and the prohibited narcotics were discovered in their stomachs after an X-ray.
They were then taken to the hospital and given medication to help them pass the pills.
The men informed the court, through a Spanish interpreter, that they had been “kidnapped and threatened” if they did not follow instructions to induce the narcotics, with the Dominican Republic being their final destination.
Herrera told the court that five family members were “kidnapped as a group” in Venezuela by guys wearing masks.
“We were afraid for our lives and families, but we had a job to do,” he explained.
The maximum penalty is EC$150,000 or three times the amount, whichever is greater, or 15 years in prison, but not less than seven years.
The Venezuelans were not represented in court, and the prosecution has also requested that they be deported once they have served their terms.
Meanwhile, five more Venezuelans who landed in the country on August 21 via Barbados were detained, with cocaine pellets totaling 6,489.2 grammes discovered in their stomachs.
The guys pleaded guilty to possession, trafficking, and false declaration before Senior Magistrate Michael Laudat. They will return to court on August 29 to have the facts read to them and subsequently be sentenced.
