Saba resident sentenced for smuggling cocaine

The Daily Herald writes that a 41-year old resident of Saba was sentenced to two months suspended and forty hours’ community service Thursday for the attempted smuggling of cocaine into Saba. The 115 grams of cocaine were hidden in a shipment of frozen chicken. Elvin De Jesus Rosa Beltre, born in the Dominican Republic, admitted he had assisted a man from Saba named Roberto, who he had met in French St. Martin, in shipping the boxes to Saba. The resident of Windwardside said he had been asked to take a package to Saba twice before. He had declined the request on both occasions, but had complied when he was approached again by the same man on July 29. Beltre, however, denied he had had any knowledge about any drugs in the box. Prosecutor Gonda van der Wulp considered drug-smuggling proven and requested the Court to sentence the first offender to six months and 80 hours’ community service. Attorney Geert Hatzmann considered two months and 40 hours’ community sentence a more appropriate sentence, a suggestion that was followed by the judge.