Western Bureau: Charging that the only thing one should take from people to others overseas were greetings, Resident Magistrate Valerie Stephens this week sentenced 19 year-old Briton, Daniel Nelson to 15 months’ imprisonment at hard labour and fined him $300,000 for possession of, dealing in and attempting to export cocaine.

The 19 year-old, who said he was studying to become a professional footballer, told the judge earlier this week that he was not aware there was cocaine in the bags of coffee he had. He said the coffee had been given to him by the cousin of a friend he has in England.

In response, RM Stephens told him he should have known better than to take the bags from a man he hardly knew without checking to ensure he was not carrying any contraband. And, she said the fact that he not done so constituted “wilful blindness”.

“Because of your actions, you’ve probably ruined a good career as a professional footballer,” the judge told Nelson who spent his 19th birthday behind bars.

At the same time, she said: “If you had gone to England with this, you would have been looking at a good eight to 10 years. The only thing you take from people to carry abroad is greetings.”

For possession of the substance, he was fined $75,000 or six months. For dealing in it, he was fined an additional $75,000 or six months. And for attempting to export it, he was fined $150,000 or six months and sentenced to 15 months’ imprisonment at hard labour.

It was about 11:00am on April 14 that the 19 year-old was stopped at the Sangster International Airport while on his way back to England.

There was 15.94 ounces of cocaine inside the bags of coffee found inside his suitcases and he was slapped with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act.