Cocaine supplier jailed for conspiracy

Osman Joel Bonilla, 32, was sentenced on Friday to eight years imprisonment after pleading guilty to conspiracy with another to supply one-half kilogramme of cocaine without lawful excuse. The men to whom the cocaine was to be supplied turned out to be undercover police officers. A co-accused, who pleaded not guilty, has not yet had his trial. 

Bonilla, who has previous convictions for cocaine with intent to supply, was due to appear in Summary Court on Monday, 13 February to be sentenced for five charges of supplying cocaine to the undercover officers in September and October 2010. Amounts ranged from less than half a gram, for $50, to 22 grams for $900. 

In Grand Court last week Wednesday, Director of Public Prosecutions Cheryll Richards said that, from August 2010, police were engaged in Operation Battery to identify whether there were suppliers of cocaine operating in local night clubs and places of entertainment. 

Two officers, posing as entrepreneurs Ant and Rick, attended Royal Palms on 15 September and engaged Bonilla in conversation, talking first about his clothing. One of them then said, “The word is you are the guy to approach for the white stuff. Is that right?” He said yes and named a price. Then he asked, “You aren’t a cop, are you?” They laughed and told him they were in real estate. 

After Bonilla handed over a small bag in exchange for $50, Ant went to the restroom and pretended to take the cocaine. Instead, he handed it over to a senior officer who was waiting outside the premises. Ant returned to the bar area, told Bonilla the stuff was good and he would be coming back. 

There were several more meetings and purchases. On 1 October, Bonilla met the men in the lobby of Treasure Island Resort, where he lived. He invited them to the laundry room, the only place without a camera, where he supplied almost nine grams. 

On 13 October, when one of the officers asked for one ounce, Bonilla said he would have to contact “my guy” and call back. He did so and another supply occurred. The officers then asked about making other purchases for transport to the UK. 

Bonilla said he would sit down with them and “a couple of other guys”. There was a subsequent dinner meeting with Bonilla’s co-accused; supply was discussed, but nothing specific was decided about price. The co-accused said he would have to discuss price with Bonilla. Two hours after the dinner concluded, Bonilla phoned one of the officers and said the price would be $10,500. 

Ms Richards said phone records indicated that the co-accused had phoned Bonilla two minutes before Bonilla phoned the officer.  

Defence attorney John Furniss said Bonilla accepted that the sales did take place, as well as the meeting that led to the one count of conspiracy. He said larger quantities were out of Bonilla’s league, which was why he had brought the co-accused to the table.  

“What went on was between them and [Bonilla] played no further part,” he told Justice Seymour Panton. 

The maximum sentence for conspiracy in Cayman is 10 years, Mr. Furniss said. He accepted that Bonilla’s previous convictions were against him but suggested that court resources had been saved because a trial would have involved overseas witnesses and viewing video. 

Justice Panton accepted that the guilty plea meant Bonilla had not wasted the court’s time. However, given the level of the investigation, Bonilla would have had little or no chance if the matter had gone to trial. The police did an excellent job and ought to be commended, he said. 

Because of the guilty plea and sentencing guidelines in this jurisdiction, the judge was of the opinion that eight years was the appropriate sentence in this case.