(CMR) Three Surinamese nationals, including a mother and her daughter, who pleaded guilty to smuggling about 3 kilograms of cocaine in the soles of 10 pairs of sneakers into the Cayman Islands last year, were sentenced to prison on Wednesday.
Onica Violetta Barclay (43), who is believed to be the ringleader, was sentenced to nine years in prison, while her 65-year-old mother, Sheron Ann Moses, was sentenced to six years and seven months. Barclay's boyfriend, Vidol Anfernie La Fleur (26), was sentenced to eight years and three months.
The three, who pretended not to know each other, traveled to the Cayman Islands from Suriname through Trinidad and Jamaica, a route that aroused the suspicion of customs officers.
Customs officers at the Owen Roberts International Airport were also alerted that they were traveling as individuals but staying at the same hotel. Moses had reportedly cleared customs and was in a taxi outside the airport when Barclay and La Fleur were stopped. Officers then called Moses back inside, and her luggage was searched along with the others.
Moses was transporting a large portion of the drugs with the soles of five pairs of sneakers in her luggage packed with over 1.1 kilos of cocaine. She also had a small amount of cocaine hidden in her anus. Barclay had two pairs of sneakers with under 700 grams of cocaine in the soles, while Vidol had more than 1.2 kilos of the drug hidden in the soles of three pairs of sneakers.
Barclay admitted to getting $3000 from a family friend in exchange for taking the sneakers into the Cayman Islands. However, she claimed she did not have a contact number for the person who was supposed to collect the drugs here.
Justice Cheryll Richards gave the three reduced sentences for their guilty plea. The sentences also vary based on their roles and the quantities carried.
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