TWO of the three men who were arrested and charged with unlawfully selling gas without a licence in Greenwich Town, Kingston were slapped with fines totalling $47,000 when they pleaded guilty in the Half-Way-Tree Criminal Court last Thursday.

The other man pleaded not guilty and is to return to court on Monday, August 29.

Austin Mendez, 36, of 7 South Avenue, Kingston 13 and Vivian “Hombre” Masters, 75, of 1 Seaview Avenue, Kingston 13, pleaded guilty to the charges of dealing in petroleum without a licence and unlawful sale of petroleum.

Senior Resident Magistrate Martin Gayle imposed a fine of $20,000 or 12 months imprisonment on Mendez and $27,000 or 18 months sentence on Masters for unlawfully dealing in and storing petroleum.

The third offender, Richard “Dread” Denton, of 4 Grants Pen Drive, Kingston 8, who pleaded innocent to the charges had his bail extended to return to court on August 29.

On Friday, July 22, the police, led by members of the Operation Kingfish squad, raided a petrol station being operated at 1 Lyndhurst Crescent, Kingston 5, seized a 5,000-gallon petrol tanker and five 45-gallon drums with petrol. Denton who the police alleged was on the premises selling petrol was arrested.

The operation then went to 1 Seaview Avenue, Greenwich Town, where police said they found 120 45-gallon drums with petrol stored in the yard, two kerosene oil tankers, 60 five-gallon buckets and 30 LPG cylinders. Fifteen people were detained for questioning. The police also raided outlets at 44 and 46 7th Street Greenwich Farm where they found an installed gas pump, two gas tankers and 30 45-gallon drums, some with petrol.

According to the police, Mendez and Marshall were arrested in that raid. The police said although Masters only had a licence to sell kerosene oil on the premises he was selling petrol.