Tuesday, June 08, 2021

Jamaican Man Admits Smuggling 2.8 Kilos of Cocaine into United States through Newark Airport

 NEWARK, N.J. – A Jamaican man today admitted that he smuggled approximately 2.8 kilograms of cocaine into the United States, Acting U.S. Attorney Rachael A. Honig announced.

Perez Omar Gibbs, 38, of Trelawny, Jamaica, pleaded guilty by videoconference before U.S. District Judge Katharine S. Hayden to an information charging him with one count of importation of controlled substances.

According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court:

Gibbs arrived at Newark Liberty International Airport aboard a flight from Montego Bay, Jamaica. Law enforcement officers discovered that Gibbs possessed approximately 2.8 kilograms of cocaine concealed inside two bags of coffee and four picture frames.

The count with which Gibbs is charged carries a mandatory minimum penalty of five years in prison, a potential maximum penalty of 40 years in prison and a maximum fine of $5 million. Sentencing is scheduled for Oct. 20, 2021.

Acting U.S. Attorney Honig credited special agents of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Homeland Security Investigations, New Jersey Division, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Jason J. Molina; and officers of U.S. Customs and Border Protection, under the direction of Marty Raybon, Acting Director of Field Operations, New York Field Office, with the investigation leading to today’s guilty plea.

The government is represented by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Fayer of the Economic Crimes Unit in Newark.

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