British drug mule gets four years

Jun 26, 2012 News

A 25-year-old British citizen will be a resident of the Camp Street prison for the next four years because he pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges yesterday, before Chief Magistrate Priya Beharry.
St. Clair Akoto, identified as a freelance filmmaker of Manchester, England, had 484 grams of cocaine at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport on June 22. Customs Anti- Narcotics Unit (CANU) prosecutor, Oswald Massiah said, the man was attempting to return to his country when he was nabbed with the prohibited drug.
Akoto pleaded guilty to the charge. He was cautioned by the court that for a crime of such nature, the penalty was a minimum fine of $30,000 and three to five years- imprisonment. As the defendant nodded his acknowledgment of the information, Massiah related the facts.
The drug prosecutor told the court that the defendant entered Guyana on May 22. On June 22 around 4:15 a.m Akoto presented himself at the CJIA with the notion of returning to London via St. Martin. He was set to board the Liat Flight 774 but while at the check –in point, Massiah said the CANU ranks on duty noticed an uneasiness about the defendant.
A drug rank was prompted to approach the defendant, and he started a conversation with the foreign national about his stay in Guyana. The rank asked Akoto about his unusual uneasiness and he responded that he had smoked cannabis the night before.
Massiah said further discussions between the defendant and the drug rank caused the officer to become even more suspicious. It was then put to the British national that he was suspected to have ingested coke but Akoto denied.
Massiah said the Englishman cooperated with CANU officials who requested to have a medical examination performed on the defendant to prove his innocence.
Akoto was arrested and brought to the city where a medical examination was conducted on his person. The prosecutor said that results from an ultra sound examination showed that foreign objects were logged in the defendant’s stomach. When this was revealed to Akoto he finally admitted to swallowing 34 pellets of cocaine.
Massiah said the defendant was admitted at the medical institute and while under surveillance, within a two-day span, the defendant excreted 34 pellets of the suspected cocaine. Massiah said the substance was tested positive for the drug and when it was weighed, the cocaine amounted to 484 grammes.
Massiah also saw it fit to inform the court that between July last year and the date of his court appearance, Akoto had entered Guyana at least six times— in July, October and December of last year and February, April and June of this year.British drug mule gets four years
Massiah submitted to the court the prevalence and seriousness of the occurring offence. In a previous drug matter the prosecutor spoke firmly about foreigners committing such offences in Guyana and adding to the “bad name” that the country already had beyond its borders. Massiah had stated that Guyana needed to send a strong message to foreign drug offenders.
Yesterday Massiah treaded along those same lines. He asked for the maximum penalty for the defendant while arguing that “drug offenders didn’t seem to be learning a lesson.”
Akoto was given a chance to speak and he asked for leniency. He told the court that he made a mistake, that it was his first offence and he was prepared to face the consequences. Akoto added that he made irrational decisions based on his financial circumstances. He also requested that he spend his jail time at the Camp Street prison.
And to clarify any beliefs that the defendant’s previous visits to Guyana were drug related, Akoto said he regularly visited his girlfriend when the court asked.
The Chief Magistrate, pronouncing on penalty, said that the mitigating factors were that the defendant did not waste the court’s time by pleading guilty. She said that Akoto seemed remorseful, that he is self employed and had no prior matters known to the court.
The aggravating factors came when the defendant tried to conceal the drugs by swallowing it, the court said. He was also of age and should know the consequence of his actions. The seriousness and prevalence of the offence were also taken into consideration.
Akoto will pay a $30,000 fine to the state and he will remain in their custody for the next four years. As for his Camp Street request, Akoto will have to apply to the Director of Prisons.

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British drug mule gets four years

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