Guyanese man convicted in New York for over 500 pounds cocaine in fish bust

According to the New York Daily News, he claimed he was duped by a relative who is in the fish business, too, and was left holding the bag after the feds found the bricks hidden inside blocks of ice.

Guyanese man convicted in New York for over 500 pounds cocaine in fish bust

A Guyanese man who travelled to the US from Guyana to pick up a more than 500 pound cocaine shipment in a container of fish, has been convicted and is now awaiting sentencing.

The man, Heeralall Sukdeo who owned a New York based company  that imports fish from Guyana was convicted Friday in Brooklyn Federal Court of smuggling 250 kilos of cocaine in a frozen shrimp-laden shipping container.

According to the New York Daily News, he claimed he was duped by a relative who is in the fish business, too, and was left holding the bag after the feds found the bricks hidden inside blocks of ice.

“The defendant is a drug smuggler,” Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Harris told the jury, “and he was caught red handed.”

The cocaine, valued at over US$8 million, was shipped from Georgetown, Guyana, and arrived at the Red Hook pier in June 2015.

The agents were unable to repack the frozen shrimp in the 20-foot container and substituted a 40-foot container which they placed under surveillance.

The much larger shipping container apparently did not arouse Sukdeo’s suspicion when he flew in from Guyana to pick up the load.

Sukdeo’s $500,000 bail was revoked after the verdict.

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