Venezuelan and Colombian busted with over 120 pounds of cocaine in Providence

A Venezuelan and a Colombian appeared in Court on Tuesday to face drug trafficking charges after they were held in Providence last Friday with more than 120 pounds of cocaine in their possession. During the Court appearance, one of the men, Revelino Achicue Ascue, who is a Colombian national, entered a guilty plea to the drug trafficking charge. He was immediately sentenced to 4 years in prison and fined $82.9 million. The other accused, Gerardo Martinez of Venezuela, pleaded not guilty to the drug trafficking charge and was remanded to prison. In a statement this morning, the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit explained that it was conducting an operation in the vicinity of the Providence Public Road, East Bank Demerara when investigating ranks intercepted a motor vehicle. A search of that vehicle unearthed fifty brick like parcels of cocaine weighing just over 120 pounds. The two occupants of the car were immediately arrested, and their pricey cargo was confiscated. The investigation remains open, and CANU said several other foreign and Guyanese nationals are in custody pending investigation.