The Tribune

By TRIBUNE STAFF REPORTER

AN Abaco man who admitted to helping smuggle cocaine and undocumented migrants from The Bahamas toward Florida was sentenced to five years and four months in a US prison yesterday after accepting a plea deal in a case involving 168 kilograms of cocaine and 31 Chinese nationals.

Ivan Curry, 52, was also ordered to serve five years of supervised release after completing his prison term.

Among those who sought leniency for Curry was Abaco journalist and Bishop Silbert Mills.

Curry was among several men sentenced on Monday for their roles in a drug and human smuggling scheme uncovered by US authorities last year.

His co-accused Malik Delancy was sentenced to four years and three months in prison. Both men pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to import a controlled substance. The remaining counts against them were dismissed as part of plea agreements.

The charges stem from their arrests last September after US authorities intercepted three go-fast boats carrying 31 Chinese nationals and 168 kilograms of cocaine from The Bahamas toward Florida.

Curry and Delancy were found on different vessels with their co-accused Fiero Cooper, Jeremiah Russell and Darren Sears, all of whom have since been charged and pleaded guilty.

Another conspirator, Teshawn Curry, who was convicted of serving as a lookout for law enforcement during the smuggling operation, was sentenced to three years and seven months in prison.

During an interview with investigators, Teshawn reportedly said he had served in the same role during four previous successful drug-smuggling ventures over the preceding six months. He said he expected to be paid for his involvement but never was.

According to court documents, the men had been under covert surveillance by US authorities for months and were arrested after an intelligence-gathering operation tracked the vessels over several days.

Ivan Curry, who reportedly captained the third vessel, admitted he knew he was transporting cocaine and undocumented migrants. He told investigators that coolers were typically used to conceal and transport the drugs.

Delancy and Cooper made similar admissions, while Russell and Sears admitted only that they knew they were transporting migrants.

US authorities said a search of Russell’s phone uncovered a text message exchange with a female dispatcher in Broward County.

“He states he’s doing a run to The Bahamas,” court documents states. “He’ll be back around 8pm and all my money troubles will be over, were about to take them boys to the South Pole, that’s a lot of gas right there, I don’t have them things right now but give me a couple days and I’ll have them flipped down south.”

Authorities also searched Sears’ phone and said they found messages referencing "bricks" in a backpack.

Investigators said the messages showed Sears saying he did not trust Ivan Curry and was concerned about whether he would be paid.

Before sentencing, Ivan Curry was told he faced a minimum sentence of ten years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment.

However, according to court documents, US prosecutors agreed to recommend a three-level reduction in his sentence for not wasting the court’s time.

In a letter submitted to the court, Bishop Mills said Curry’s case reminded him of his own past, saying that 44 years ago he found himself in a similar position and credited a US congressman with taking a chance on him by speaking on his behalf.

Bishop Mills said the case caused him to reflect on his own rehabilitation and transformation, citing his later achievements as a chief councillor, bishop, local lay magistrate and doctorate holder.

“It's amazing that I now sit on the other side of the bench deciding cases,” he said.

Having known Curry for more than three decades, Bishop Mills described him as a family man, businessman and community leader.

He said that before his arrest, Curry assisted with post-Dorian clean-up efforts and was a gifted musician who regularly used his talents during Sunday worship.

“I believe that if given the opportunity, Ivan can rise from this unfortunate place to where he finds himself,” he wrote. “I pray for mercy on his behalf.”

The remaining defendants are expected to be sentenced today.