By Exilus Deceyon
Port of Spain, December 21st, 2005 [AlterPresse] --- A Trinidadian woman has been jailed for 70 months by a federal judge in Florida for drug trafficking, the agency in AlterPresse line learned.
Indaryartee Dwarika, 46, was sentenced to 70 months (five years, ten months) imprisonment by judge James Cohn at the Fort Lauderdale, Broward District Court, after she pleaded guilty to attempting to import 150 kilogrammes cocaine on December 2, 2001.
Dwarika was extradited from Trinidad on June 20, which she agreed to, more than two years after the warrant for her arrest was served.
She was charged along with Hafeez Mohammed, Ronald Rackal, Jitram Sookdeo and Ramesh Doon with five counts of attempting to import to the United States five kilogrammes and 150 kilogrammes of cocaine.
She will receive a two-month reduction from the sentence for the time she served in jail in Trinidad awaiting extradition to Florida.
The woman had entered a plea of not guilty and filed a motion for the prosecution to produce to her specific evidence in connection with the charge.
This motion was denied and Dwarika changed her plea to guilty only on one of the counts. The other charges against her were dismissed.
Attorney Jeffrey Weinkle represented Dwarika while Andrew Hoffman prosecuted.
Mohammed was jailed for 270 months (at least 22 years) on two counts on September 6, but the judge ordered that the sentence be run concurrently, so he will only serve 135 months (11 years, three months).
The charges against Jitram and Sookdeo are still pending.
Under the same case number, two other people were jailed in November 2003 for drug related offences.
Fifty-four year old Samuel was sentenced to 210 months imprisonment (17 years), plus five years probation after his release, and Alma Santiago, 33, was incarcerated for 46 months. [ed rc apr 12/21/2005 11:00]
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