(CMR) Adrian Frederick Scales (27), the first person convicted of smuggling fentanyl into the Cayman Islands, has been sentenced to six years and six months in prison.
Scales, who was visiting from the US, was found guilty in 2023 of smuggling 90 milligrams of pure fentanyl into the Cayman Islands. He was caught at the Owen Roberts International Airport in October 2022 with the fentanyl powder in his backpack. He, however, denied importing the drug but made no effort to explain the presence of the deadly drug.
During the trial, Scales told the court he was unaware he was in possession of the drug because he had loaned the bag to someone else. Magistrate Phillipa McFalane did not accept that explanation, and he was found guilty.
However, sentencing was pushed back several times because Scales was the first person convicted of fentanyl-related crimes in the Cayman Islands, and the prosecution asked that the court consult with the United States FBI on the dangers of the drug before a sentence was handed down.
On Tuesday, Scales was sentenced in this landmark case, as the court sends a message to people who may be considering importing the drug. Last year, three people were arrested after some 200 fentanyl tablets were intercepted at the post office.
In 2022, the Cayman Islands Customs and Border Control Service (CBC) expressed concerns about the increase in importation of fentanyl.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Fentanyl is a synthetic opioid that is up to 50 times stronger than heroin and 100 times stronger than morphine. It is a major contributor to fatal and nonfatal overdoses in the U.S.
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