Duo caught with cocaine pellets get 4 years, fined $1.6M each

Magistrate Rhondell Weever on Thursday sentenced each of two men to serve 36 months’ imprisonment on drug trafficking charges.
The custodial punishment was imposed on Ron Reid, 50, and Nigel Dundas, 46, who were each ordered to pay a fine of $1.6M.
These two men were initially charged with the offence in March 2022 and were remanded to prison, but were subsequently granted $300,000 bail pending the hearing and determination of their trial.
The Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) has said that on March 2, 2022, at West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, these men had 1.084 kilograms of cocaine in their possession for the purpose of trafficking.
It was reported that, on the day in question, CANU ranks were conducting an operation at a house in the West Ruimveldt “Front Road” area when the two men were caught wrapping cocaine pellets. They were arrested and taken to CANU Headquarters, where more than 100 pellets were weighed in their presence and amounted to 1.084 kilograms.
CANU at the time had said the illicit drug, which has a street value of Gy$1.2M, would be worth way more than that overseas.
Reid is no stranger to the drug enforcement unit, and can be described as one of the big fishes in the drug trade. In fact, on March 2, 2015, he and his common-law wife were arrested after they were allegedly found with 70 grams of cocaine. They were later slapped with a drug trafficking charge to which they pleaded not guilty. In that case, it was reported that on the day in question, CANU ranks went to the couple’s home. After they had knocked on the door, Reid’s wife reportedly appeared. When ranks asked her for Reid, she reportedly tried to engage them in conversation, delaying their gaining access to the house.
A rank then heard a sudden running of water inside the house, and when he stormed in, he found Reid standing in front of a sink that had four cocaine pellets inside.
In 2017, CANU had issued a wanted bulletin for Reid, after his alleged associate, Julius Watkins, was intercepted at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) with 114 cocaine pellets that he had ingested. Watkins subsequently pleaded guilty to trafficking narcotics and was sentenced to four years in prison and fined $2.5M.
The court heard that between September 12 and September 15, 2017, Watkins swallowed 114 pellets laced with a total of 960 grams of cocaine. On the latter date, he was attempting to board an outgoing flight to Canada at the CJIA when CANU ranks noticed him acting suspiciously as he approached the scanning area. As such, Watkins, a taxi driver at the time, was questioned and taken to CANU Headquarters, where he confessed to swallowing pellets laced with cocaine.
He was subsequently transported to the Woodlands Hospital, where he excreted the pills containing the illegal substance.
Watkins had sought to justify his actions to the Chief Magistrate by explaining that he was facing a financial crisis and was unable to send his children to school. As such, he said, he had taken the “job” to earn extra money.