A joint sentence of between 20 and 30 years’ imprisonment for the crimes of international drug trafficking, attempted murder, illegal possession and carrying of weapons, among others, was the prosecutor’s request for the accused in the drug trafficking trial that took place in the provincial court of Santiago de Cuba, as reported today by Noticiero Nacional de Televisión in its prime-time broadcast, quoted by the daily Granma.

The action of the ministerial system of prevention and confrontation, together with the participation of the Cuban people, succeeded in arresting the drug traffickers, including their organiser, who intended to carry out the operation on the coast of the Guamá municipality in the eastern territory.

Lieutenant Colonel Abraham Estonile Río, head of the international drug trafficking department, pointed out to Cuban TV that the person involved had established a criminal chain based in Jamaica and a counterpart in Cuba who ensured the commercialisation of the drugs brought into the country by sea.

By means of a ministerial plan, the accused were caught in the middle of their criminal activity, and 300 pounds of marijuana, a large sum of money, mobile phones, firearms, speedboats and other objects were seized to break the system of confrontation.

Investigations showed that the main accused not only wanted to bring the drugs into Cuba on this occasion, but also to create a support base and carry out similar actions again with synthetic drugs and cocaine.

However, the Cuban state has a strict legal criminal policy for these cases. In this regard, Carlos Martín García, provincial prosecutor of the criminal proceedings department in Santiago de Cuba, stated that the Penal Code provides for penalties ranging from four to 30 years’ imprisonment, life imprisonment or death.

«In the case of international drug trafficking, the penalties range from 10 to 30 years’ imprisonment, life imprisonment or death,» he said.