California man pleads guilty to marijuana trafficking

A California man who was held in the first Bocas off Chacachacare Island, Chaguaramas, in 2014 by Coast Guard officers has pleaded guilty to trafficking 50 kilogrammes of marijuana has pleaded guilty.

Byjoo Harrinarine was sentenced by Justice Nalini Singh on March 24 and ordered to be released as she held he had already spent the six years she intended to impose on him at a maximum sentence indication hearing.

Harrinarine was represented by public defender Adelia Jordan while the State was represented by Charmaine Samuel.

It was the prosecution’s evidence that on May 18, 2014, Petty Officer Hodge and his crew received information of a pirogue in the first Bocas and a high-speed chase ensued on the water.

There were two men on board the pirogue “Yazzie 2” when the coastguards men drew up alongside it. Harrinarine was at the bow of the pirogue and the captain at the stern operating the throttles and refused to stop when ordered to by the Coast Guard crew.

One of the officers fired two shots in the area forcing the pirogue to slow down while Harrinarine tried to throw one of the crocus bags that was on the boat into the sea. He was ordered to put the bag down and he did, after which the pirogue stopped.

The officers found two crocus bags of marijuan during a search of the boat which was taken back to Staubles Bay. The police and customs officers were called.

Harrinarine was questioned and gave his address as Sanford Street West, California.

After photographs were taken of the exhibits and the pirogue by a police photographer, the marijuana was taken to the Forensic Science Centre for analysis which gave the weight of the drugs as 50.25 kilogrammes.

When Harrinarine appeared before Singh he indicated he wanted a maximum sentence indication hearing. Singh gave an indication of six years and he accepted it, after which he pleaded guilty.

After mitigation, the final sentence imposed by the judge was time spent.