Western Bureau: Jennifer Nam, 43, of Bottom Pen in Montego Bay, found Wednesday that there is truth in the adage “trouble follows easy money” when she was sentenced to 18 months’ imprisonment at hard labour for attempting to smuggle cocaine out of the island.

The mother of two was also slapped with a fine of $200,000 for the offence.

Nam was taken from the Sangster International Airport on March 5 to the Cornwall Regional Hospital where she excreted 94 packages of cocaine, weighing one pound, nine and a half ounces.

In court Wednesday, her attorney Charles Sinclair painted a picture of Nam as a woman in desperate financial straits and who was in dire need of some easy money.

He said the 43 year-old dressmaker had swallowed the illegal substance in an effort to raise money to care for her husband and two children, the younger of whom recently gave birth to a child at age 17.

In addition, Sinclair said the family was also six months in arrears in the payment of their $7,000 rent and were now at risk of losing their home.

“She has pleaded guilty because she knew that she had an illegal substance. Her situation was of dire need… I am asking you to be lenient,” he urged the court.

At the same time, Sinclair questioned the amount of the illegal substance with which Nam was reportedly found. The attorney said that as far as his client knew, she had ingested only a pound of the drugs. And arguing that there were other “drug mules” present at the hospital while his client was there, he asked that the court be mindful of possible contamination.

But presiding judge Valerie Stephens said while she was cognizant of the nuances of the case, there was no chance of Nam escaping imprisonment.

“You are 43 years old. You are a big woman. You ought to know better. You must know ma’am that trouble follows easy money,” judge Stephens told the accused. “I have heard what your attorney said… I am going to take into account that you pleaded guilty. I am going to take into account the possible contamination of the exhibits… but Miss Nam you are getting a term of imprisonment… What I have to do is decide how long,” the judge told the accused.

For possession of the drug, she was fined $75,000 or six months. For attempting to export the substance she was slapped with a fine of $125,000 or six months and a mandatory 18 months behind bars.