An Enmore man who was busted back in 2011 with over 140 pounds of cocaine stashed in religious ornaments known as kunds, has been given a five-year suspended sentence. That sentence means he will not spend any time in jail unless he is charged again for a similar offence. The cocaine had a value of $300 Million.

The sentence which is being seen as a slap on the risk by some law enforcement officials, was handed down by Magistrate Alex Moore.

The self-confessed drug trafficker, Leonard Bacchus was also fined $2.5 Million for the crime. He had initially pleaded not guilty when he was first charged but changed his plea on Tuesday. He was represented by Attorney James Bond.  

Magistrate Moore also handed Bacchus a 2 year suspended sentence for unlawful possession of 125, 12-gauge cartridges and 115, .32 rounds of ammunition that were also found at his home during the drug bust.

While some drug enforcement and law enforcement officers  have expressed shock over the sentence, one legal source explained to News Source that the Magistrate may have taken into account the fact that the man’s trial was ongoing for over three years and he has taken responsibility for the crime. The legal source said at the end of the day, the incident goes down as a conviction against Bacchus.

The drug bust in the village of Enmore on the East Coast of Demerara had created a buzz in the public over the elaborate way the cocaine was stashed in the religious ornaments which are made out of metal. The bust was made by Police narcotics and though investigations believed a number of other persons may have been linked to the cocaine, no one else outside of the Bacchus family was ever charged.

Filed: 13th November, 2014

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