Five Venezuelan men received a total of 38 years in jail after pleading guilty to cocaine possession and trafficking.
The individuals—Hector Louis Ramerez, 33; Daike Jose Herrera Ramerez, 19; and 27-year-olds Daniel Jose Rivas Herrera, Pedro Celestino Ramos, and Yhorbby Jose Rosario—also faced charges for making false declarations under the Customs Act.
The sentencing took place before Acting Chief Magistrate Gloria Augustus, who issued 18-year sentences to run concurrently for both the drug-related offenses and the customs violations.
Unveiling the drug operation
Prosecutors revealed that the men possessed a total of 5,361.4 grams of cocaine, with an estimated street value of EC$143,407.80.
Reports are that they arrived in Dominica from Barbados on August 20.
According to reports, intelligence-driven operations led to their arrest, and subsequent X-ray examinations confirmed the presence of the illegal drugs within their digestive systems.
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Claims of coercion
While under hospital care and police surveillance, the men were medicated to safely pass the concealed drugs.
Communicating through a Spanish interpreter, the defendants claimed they had been kidnapped and threatened, coerced into carrying the drugs to their intended destination—the Dominican Republic.
Herrera extended this narrative by stating that their families back in Venezuela had also been kidnapped by masked men, amplifying their fears and driving them to comply.
Legal consequences and future deportation
The court’s regulations stipulate a maximum penalty for such offenses of up to EC$150,000 or an amount three times the street value of the confiscated drugs.
Jail terms could range up to 15 years but not less than seven.
In this case, the men faced the court without legal representation. Additionally, prosecutors have applied for the offenders to be deported following the completion of their jail terms.
Another drug investigation
In a related development, five other Venezuelans were apprehended a day later, also arriving from Barbados.
Cocaine pellets totaling 6,489.2 grams were found within them.
The men appeared before Senior Magistrate Michael Laudat and pleaded guilty to possession, trafficking, and false declaration.
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