United States-based Guyanese Cranson Henry was Monday sentenced to four years in prison and fined $30,000 after he confessed to attempting to smuggle $13.3 million worth of cocaine concealed in milk packages through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).
His co-accused, 44-year-old singer, Mark Ferdinand of Samaria Dam, Pouderoyen, West Bank Demerara denied the crime and was remanded to prison.
Crandon of Crane Housing Scheme, West Coast Demerara and Rockaway Avenue 11212 Brooklyn, New York, USA was arraigned at the Diamond Magistrates’ Court.
He admitted that on March 02, 2023, at CJIA he had 6.070 kilograms of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.
The Magistrate, after considering the seriousness of the crime, sentenced Crandon to four years in jail.
Since the certificate of value for the narcotics was not presented to the court, Crandon was only fined $30,000 and not three times the market value of the drug.
Meanwhile, Ferdinand was arraigned at the Georgetown Magistrates’ Court before Magistrate Leron Daly for the same charge.
He was remanded to prison until March 27, 2023.
According to a release from the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU), on the day in question, Henry was an outgoing passenger destined for the United States of America.
He was searched at CJIA and cocaine was found concealed in seven Milex milk packages in his suitcase.
The narcotics weighed and amounted to 13.4 lbs, with a street value of $13.3M.
Based on further investigation, Ferdinand was arrested.
According to CANU, Ferdinand was previously arrested in the US in 2015 for drug trafficking, CANU said.
“Berkeley Ferdinand, the brother of Mark Ferdinand was previously charged by CANU in 2016 for trafficking in narcotics and was sentenced to 3 years in prison,” the agency added.
