2 extradited to US for drugs

Doon, 25, of Crosby Street, Aranjuez, and Hernandez, 23, were taken aboard American Airlines flight 1668 bound for Miami International Airport.

Doon and Hernandez arrived at Piarco International Airport at 2.30 pm accompanied by three US Marshals and members of the Organised Crime, Narcotics and Firearms Bureau, headed by acting ASP Simon Alexis.

Doon was the fourth Trinidadian to be extradited to Fort Lauderdale, Florida, to face charges of conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States.

Three others were sent to Florida in 2005, and have been sentenced to terms ranging from 70 months to 21 years in jail.

Ronald Rackal, 38, of Chenette Drive, El Socorro, who was considered the mastermind behind the hauling of $204 million in cocaine in Central Trinidad in 2001, was sentenced to 262 months by Judge James Cohn in the United States District Court in Fort Lauderdale.

Hafeez Mohammed, 29, of Globe Lane, San Juan, who was also charged, was sentenced to 135 months (11 years and three months) in jail after he pleaded guilty to charges of trafficking cocaine and conspiracy to import cocaine into the United States. He is expected to be a witness against Doon at his trial.

Housewife Indaryartee Dwarika, 45, of D’Abadie, was sentenced to 70 months in prison.

Mohammed, Rackal and Dwarika were charged with conspiring to traffic cocaine, and the importing and exporting of cocaine between November 30, 2000, and January 22, 2001.

The trio was arrested and charged along with Jitman Sookdeo, 36, Doon, and Andre Ravi Persad, after they were allegedly found by members of the Organised Crime and Narcotics Unit (OCNU) under Senior Supt Raymond Craig at a warehouse at Orange Field Road, Freeport, on January 22, 2001, with 542 kilos of cocaine stacked among cassava.

The day before they were due to go on trial at the Port-of-Spain High Court in November 2004, five of them (except Persad) were arrested on a provisional warrant for extradition to the US.

Sookdeo absconded while on bail for the extradition hearing and has not been seen since. A warrant has been issued for his arrest.

Hernandez was arrested at Piarco International Airport on April 30, 2005, after six kilos of heroin, valued at $5 million, were found in his suitcase.

He was about to board an American Airlines flight to Puerto Rico when he was held. He was charged with possession of heroin and attempting to export the drug.

While in custody, the US discovered that they wanted Hernandez so they brought extradition proceedings against him.

However, Hernandez did not contest the extradition and agreed to go to New York to face a grand jury indictment.