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Cocaine trafficker gets 19 years
Friday, November 22, 2013
Pinilla Rios Eduardo Jose
A man who trafficked 127 kilograms of cocaine worth HK$170 million was yesterday jailed for 19 years and two months.
Eduardo Jose Rios Pinilla, 32, had earlier pleaded guilty in the Court of First Instance to a charge of drug trafficking.
The court heard that police, who were trailing Pinilla in April 2011, saw him take 800 grams of cocaine from Tsim Sha Tsui to trade in a Sha Tin hotel.
He told officers that he received a US$700 (HK$5,460) reward for carrying the drug and making the transaction at the hotel.
After his arrest, the Venezuelan led investigators to a flat in Tsim Sha Tsui where the cocaine haul was found.
In mitigation, the lawyer for Pinilla said his client was not the mastermind in the case.
His client arrived in Hong Kong three years ago and had not committed any crimes relating to drugs in the past.
In sentencing, High Court judge Andrew Chan Hing-wai said Pinilla had pleaded guilty and was willing to cooperate with the police.
STAFF REPORTER
