The Tribune

By LAMECH JOHNSON

Tribune Staff Reporter

ljohnson@tribunemedia.net

ONE of two men arraigned in connection with a $1 million drug seizure in Inagua pleaded guilty to drug possession charges.

However, 44-year-old Jose Cabrerra of the Dominican Republic told Deputy Chief Magistrate Carolita Bethell in Spanish that he had no idea he was in the Bahamas when he buried six sacks of cocaine on a cay during bad weather.

The Deputy Chief Magistrate said she would allow Cabrerra to speak with an attorney and then stand the matter down for report, because she could not accept his guilty plea unless it was unequivocal and conceded all the facts presented by the prosecutor.

Cabrerra and 41-year-old Sean Pratt of Turks Island were arraigned together on two drug charges: conspiracy to possess dangerous drugs with intent to supply and possession of dangerous drugs with intent to supply.

It is claimed that on August 30 while at Northwest Cay, the pair conspired to possess and possessed a quantity to cocaine with intent to supply.

Pratt pleaded not guilty.

Cabrerra alone faced two additional charges: conspiracy to import dangerous drugs with intent to supply and importation of dangerous drugs

The Dominican admitted his guilt when the charges were read to him in Spanish with the aid of an interpreter who happened to be in court during the arraignment.

Following this, the magistrate asked the prosecutor for the facts concerning Cabrrera.

The police prosecutor said that on Wednesday August 29, officers of the Drug Enforcement Unit in Inagua acted on information they received.

“As a result of the information, they went by way of helicopter to a cay called Northwest Cay; it is a cay off Inagua” the prosecutor said.

“They abandoned the chopper on a boat and went to the cay and took up position on the shoreline of that cay. On the 30th of August, the officers observed a boat approach that cay. Four persons were on the boat, two got off and two remained.

“After observing the two persons from the shoreline who got off the boat, officers went after the two persons who got off the boat. They apprehended them.”

The two men were transported to the Great Inagua police station and officers returned to the cay later, with Cabrerra.

“While on the cay, he pointed out an area on the cay to the officers. In the area he pointed out, the officers began to dig, and while digging in the ground, officers discovered six crocus sacks,” the prosecutor said.

“They looked at the content of the crocus sacks and they found 140 kilos of suspected cocaine. The defendant was then returned to the police station in Inagua,” after being cautioned and placed under arrest, he said.

The defendant was interviewed by police the following day, September 1, with the aid of a Spanish interpreter.

“He was on a boat from Santo Domingo a few months prior to the day when officers met him. Because of bad weather, they had to put the drugs on the cay and he buried the drugs. After burying the drugs, he left and later returned to the cay but he didn’t find it,” the prosecutor said.

Cabrerra allegedly told officers that on this second visit, he was on a boat that left from the Turks and Caicos.

He told officers that he “was sent up by his boss and he was supposed to meet up with the persons from Turks and Caicos who were supposed to take him to where the drugs were,” the prosecutor said.

Deputy Chief Magistrate Bethell then asked the defendant if he accepted the facts explained by the prosecutor.

He said yes.
“Did you bring the cocaine into the Bahamas from another country?” the magistrate asked.

Responding through the interpreter, he answered that “he left from Puerto Rico and he wasn’t coming to the Bahamas”.

Rephrasing the question, the judge asked, “Did you know what you brought from Santo Domingo was cocaine?”

“Yes” was his reply through the interpreter.

“And you buried that cocaine?” the magistrate inquired.

“Yes” he said.

At this point, in response to the magistrate’s questions, Cabrerra said he was lost and had no idea where he was when he buried the sacks.

Wanting to avoid further confusion, Deputy Chief Magistrate Bethell said she would give Cabrerra an opportunity to speak to a lawyer before hearing from him again.
She stood the matter down to September 12 at 2pm.

In the meantime, she remanded Pratt to Her Majesty’s Prison. Her court does not have the jurisdiction to grant bail on the charges in question.