Cocaine traffickers dodge long prison terms
(CNS): A combination of mitigating factors, admissions of guilt and help given to the police saw two local men convicted of trying to smuggle over 4.65 kilos of cocaine into the Cayman Islands dodge what could have been almost two decades behind bars for their part in the conspiracy. At the sentencing hearing on Tuesday, Jermaine Jevornie Myles was facing a potential 18 years in jail, which was reduced to seven years as a result of various circumstances.
Andre Carroll Woodman, who was looking at a possible 20-year term, was given just four and a half years because of assistance he gave to the authorities. At the request of his defence attorney, the sentencing of Alexander Adrian Ebanks the third man in the cocaine gang, was delayed for two weeks.
The men were apprehended in November 2021 after the canoe, with Myles and Ebanks on board, was spotted by the police helicopter and picked up by the Cayman Islands Coast Guard some 31 miles south of Grand Cayman. The drugs were found and seized during the search of the vessel. and Myles and Ebanks, both from Bodden Town, were arrested and charged. Woodman was arrested and charged at a later date following an investigation.
As she handed down her sentencing decision regarding, Myles, Justice Marline Carter noted that until now he had no criminal record and character references submitted on his behalf all suggested this was uncharacteristic. Offering advice to Myles the judge noted that actions have consequences. “If you are going to do something out of character, don’t make it the importation of hard drugs into Cayman,” she told him.
Myles, a father of three, also received a sentence of nine months for handling $21,000 of criminal cash and four years for the possession of a single round of ammunition that he said he had found, both of which will run concurrently.
Woodman, who played a significant role in arranging payment for the drugs, did have a criminal record and at the time of his arrest was on probation in relation to a drug possession conviction. But alongside his guilty pleas, his own personal mitigation, his conduct in prison and efforts at rehabilitation, the undisclosed help he gave led to his sentence being reduced to just four and a half years.
He, too, received a 13-month sentence for paying for the drugs, which will also run concurrently with his smuggling sentence.
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That is not a canoe, it is a local boat. Found by the police helicopter team way off the Island, great work it appears by that Unit yet again.
Compared to the general sentencing practices of the courts here, these are fairly stiff. Hope it’s a trend.
And to think that there is now gambling and decriminalization of ganga on the horizon. What do we expect when we have hardened drug dealers in Parliament. PACT should be ashamed of themselves.
What is ganga? What does decriminalizing it or gambling have to do with this case? Please use critical thinking
You’re right. Decriminalization of cannabis and legalization of a lottery have nothing to do with cocaine trafficking. These are separate issues.
Not really.
That wasn’t very informative, feel free to enlighten us. What meaningful connection is there between pact considering asking the population if they support decriminalizing cannabis and a national lottery, and this judges choices in regards to sentencing cocaine traffickers.
LOL What a joke the law and Caymanian courts really are.
Based on English Common Law though.
This is one of those cases where the Court, or a lawyer, needs to do a public service op-ed outlining the precedents, considerations and how this sentence is arrived at. Only after that can we – the public and politicians – consider if those principles send the right message rewarding cooperating with authorities (vs just not smuggling drugs) or it sends the wrong message of drug smuggling being worth the risk.
These sentences are far too lenient. And why all running concurrently? If you carry out multiple crimes you should expect to receive multiple punishments and to serve them all.
I don’t see any entry-level canoes in that picture.
Character isn’t a fixed document. The moment any person agrees to participate in criminal enterprise, or turn a blind eye, that defect becomes part of the permanent character record that person has to carry around and live with. I don’t understand how letters attesting to opposing ideals at some earlier time can bear any influence over sentencing someone that chose to be a crook in that moment at issue, however regrettable. That’s what’s supposed to be on trial.
These guys should be punished more appropriately. They should be given lines.
It’s lines that got them into this mess.
I will not smuggle coke
I will not smuggle coke
I will not smuggle coke
Why do they consistently have sentences run concurrently on this island, these guys are getting off way too easily.
There is no hard and fast rule on this and Judges are required to ensure that the overall total sentence is proportionate in all the circumstances.
Generally however, concurrent sentences will be imposed for offences arising out of the same incident or facts, while consecutive sentences will be imposed for unrelated offences.
So for example, a defendant gets in a fight at a bar, causes damage to the property, and assaults a police officer during his arrest – most likely concurrent sentences.
Same defendant stole a car the day before – consecutive sentence.
Thanks
sssaaaawwwwwfffftttt
OK big time cocaine smugglers just find yourselves some character witnesses and you will save yourselves years off your sentence.
Just call your current/former BT MP and they’ll call the AG who will call the judge!
Not far off from the truth sometimes.
Deportation orders?
They are all Caymanians.
Who checked to make sure?
Expat troll.
Realist actually.
Ps. Mine is irrevocable.
You can’t deport Caymanians. The cocaine is being import mainly for expat users.
It seems that many expats love the high paying jobs and relatively close proximity to Columbia for obvious reasons.
@2:32 I don’t disagree that much of it goes to the high society dudes but from a look around, the lives of many local people have been destroyed from cocaine, and unfortunately that number continues to grow daily. For that reason alone, it should have been lights out for these smugglers.
Our laws are way too soft on possession/dealing/smuggling hard drugs and guns and we need to hold our so called “Legislators” accountable for this!
It was the Court — the judiciary — that gave them the sentence.
Parliament — the legislature — already has sufficient legislation in place.
The two guys that got very light sentences COOPERATED (wink, 😉). That’s why.
Same Alex Ebanks who was convicted in 2016 for supplying drugs, and received a sentence of 6 years. Wow, his time in prison taught him a lot!
Keep giving these guys slap on wrist sentences, and they WILL come back.
Methinks he will be getting more than that this time around, hence the delay in sentencing
Boy this alex ebanks is certainly making a name for himself…
In the words of TK Kirkland >> “Who raised you”???
The judge made so many mistakes about basic law – you should read this and complain that someone like this is making such grave decisions for society. She was corrected by a female lawyer from Samsons, who seemed to be the only one there who knew what was going on, the prosecutor also didn’t correct the judge when the judge made mistakes – if the new chief wants public confidence then she needs to look in to this and make the public understand how this all went wrong. I was there watching for my studies. Does acting judge mean training to be a judge? If so why was something like this left to someone so incompetent?
6.27pm If the judgement was that flawed then certainly the crown will appeal.
Which wastes public funds. Do it right the first time.
6:27pm
The judiciary and legal department need an complete purge. Too many cases leave the public wondering why did they prosecutute. Never a dull moment for justice in these islands. Why make laws that amount to no justice.