US Court sentences drug convict Barry Dataram to time served and seals his case

Sixteen months after he traveled to the US and was arrested and charged for outstanding drug related cases, convicted Guyanese drug trafficker Barry Dataram has been sentenced to time served.

Dataram who had been found guilty in Guyana and served jail time on a number of drug trafficking charges locally, traveled to the United States in January 2023 and was promptly arrested on arrival at the JFK Airport in New York on outstanding warrants.

However, on Wednesday, a New York Judge imposed a time served sentence on the convicted drug trafficker.

His entire case in the US, including the sentencing details, has been sealed by the US authorities. Sections of his indictment have also been redacted.

The 46-year-old Guyanese man, who also holds US citizenship, had fought off a number of extradition requests by the United States in the local Courts.

In 2016, a local arrest warrant was issued for him in relation to drug trafficking. He was nabbed in Suriname and handed over to local authorities.

After he was convicted on the drug trafficking charges, he was sentenced to five years in jail.

After his release, Dataram kept a low profile, but got his US passport renewed and decided to make a trip to the US in January 2023.

While the details of his US indictments were never made public, it was suspected that the indictments were linked to a number of various drug operations that originated in Guyana with operational links in the US.

Dataram now continues to live and work in the United States.