Three Venezuelan men found in the Anderson Hill, Tortola, area on September 27, 2020, when police confiscated a loaded gun and 124 kilogrammes of cocaine, were sentenced to serve time at Her Majesty's Prison in Balsam Ghut on November 9, 2020. Photo: VINO/File
ROAD TOWN, Tortola, VI- The remaining three of the five Venezuelan men found in the Anderson Hill, Tortola, area on September 27, 2020, when police confiscated a loaded gun and 124 kilogrammes of cocaine, have been sentenced to serve time at Her Majesty's Prison in Balsam Ghut.
Custodial sentences
When they appeared virtually before Magistrate Christilyn Benjamin on Monday, November 9, 2020, she sentenced Pineda Moises Gonzalez, 27, who had entered a guilty plea to Possession of a Controlled Drug, to seven years imprisonment for that offence.
Gonzalez had also pleaded guilty to the charge of Possession of a Controlled Drug with Intent to Supply and was sentenced to seven years in jail and a fine of $100,000.
If he fails to pay the fine, he will spend an additional year in jail.
On the Landing in the Territory without Permission from an Immigration Officer charge, Gonzalez was given six months custodial sentence.
All his sentences are to run concurrently, meaning that he would only spend seven years behind bars.
In the meantime, his co-convict Franklin Ramirez Garcia, 26, who pleaded guilty for Keeping a Firearm without a Licence, was given a seven-year sentence.
He was also fined $10,000, and in default, he would spend five months in jail.
For the offence of Landing in the Territory without Permission from an Immigration Officer, Garcia was slapped with a six-month custodial sentence.
His sentences are to run concurrently as well.
The third defendant, Luis Hector Gonzalez, who only pleaded guilty to illegal entry, was sentenced to five months in jail.
The other offences that the defendants pleaded not guilty to were dismissed by the Crown.
Other defendants
In the meantime, Jessica Faronas Farinas, 32 who had pleaded guilty to the offence of Overstaying a Landing Permit, had been previously fined $1,000 when she appeared before the court.
The two other defendants – Dannys Juan Rodriguez Robles and Emerais Guadalupe Lopez Leiva — were also previously charged with overstaying their landing permits were each fined $1,000 or spend two months in prison for non-payment.
7 Responses to “Venezuelans nabbed with drugs & $$ in Anderson Hill sentenced to prison”
Lock up all the criminal and supporters of the h88888 of C** D**P! Been trying to distract us while them criminals bring drugs and guns into our country. Remember in D own words” hands feeling better even triggered happy” you’ll really want this kinda “it” being an elected government official? Yellow would make a better Representative.