Ecuadorian jailed in Guyana for cocaine possession, fraud

An Ecuadorian was slapped with two charges and taken to the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts on Wednesday.
Julio Harreira stood before acting Chief Magistrate Sherdel Isaacs-Marcus and admitted to both charges, which stated that on May 23 at Charlotte Street, Georgetown, he had in his possession 0.6 grams of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

The second charge stated that between May 1 and May 23, 2019 in Georgetown, he conspired with person(s) unknown to commit forgery.
Police Prosecutor Adduni Innis told the court that on May 23, ranks of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) headquarters were conducting an operation at a shipping company in Fifth Street, Alberttown, Georgetown, when a search was carried out on eight persons.
According to the Prosecutor, two passports with forged US visas were found in the persons’ possession. After the items were found, a further search was conducted, and the cocaine was found in a cigarette pack.
The defendant was arrested and was taken to the CID headquarters, where he admitted to both offences. However, the file was sent to the Department of Public Prosecutions (DPP) for advice, and immediate deportation was advised.
Harreira told the court that he had no intention of scamming anyone in Guyana, adding that he was sorry for the offence committed. He further begged the Magistrate for a lenient sentence, and urged the Magistrate to take into consideration the fact that he has no family in Guyana.
As a result, Magistrate Isaacs-Marcus sentenced Harreira to one year’s imprisonment for possession of cocaine and a $20,000 fine, along with four years’ imprisonment for the forgery. The sentences were ordered to run concurrently.