Another mother jailed, fined for cocaine

The story of Flanker’s resident Deborah White, who swallowed more than 12 ounces of cocaine for export, echoes that of so many other mothers these past weeks and like them, she will pay the penalty.

According to her attorney, Jacqueline Minto, the 36 year-old accused was an unemployed single mother who had resorted to the illegal drug trade to take care of her children.

Now however, having got caught, she is to spend 10 months in prison and is liable to pay $125,000 in fines.

When the case was brought before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court Tuesday, the mother of five pleaded guilty to possession of, dealing in and attempting to export cocaine. She allowed her attorney to tell her “hard luck” story to the judge.

Minto told the court that before resorting to the drug trade, her client had operated a shop on lands in Fustic Road for seven years. Following the death of the man who had given her permission to use the land, however, the family of the deceased demolished the shop without consulting White who was then left to seek an alternative occupation.

But for the past five months since she lost the use of the land, she has had no success in finding another job, Minto continued.

As such, when she was approached and presented with the illegal drug trade as an option, she took it to provide for her children who range in age from two months to seven years old.

“The reality is that old people, young people they are being sought out for this profession – the swallowers. She (White) essentially just sought and came up with the wrong solution,” Minto told the court.

She added that White was sorry for having committed the offence and the pain it had caused her children, who she had at the “forefront” of her mind when she decided to take the drugs overseas.

“I ask you, ma’am, to extend a hand of mercy and be as lenient as possible,” the attorney told RM Valerie Stephens who presided over the matter.

The RM said she would take into consideration all that Minto said but admonished White that she could have been killed.

“I will take into consideration what your lawyer said. I know you know, ma’am, that what you did does not help your family. You could have been killed,” the RM told the accused mother.

For possession of the drug, White was fined $50,000 or six months. And for attempting to export it, she was fined $75,000 or six months and sentenced to 10 months behind bars. The charge of dealing in the drug was dismissed.

Antiguan fined $348,000, gets nine months for ganja. Antiguan Peter Lake was fined close to $350,000 and he is to spend the next nine months of his life behind prison bars for the 52 pounds of ganja found in his suitcase while on his way out of the island on November 23.

Montego Bay Resident Magistrate Valerie Stephens earlier this week fined him $15,000 or six months for possession of the drug. For dealing in it, he was fined $83,000 or six months. And for attempting to export, it he was fined $250,000 or six months and sentenced to nine months imprisonment at hard labour.

The 22 year-old was on his way back to Antigua when his suitcase was searched and found to contain the illegal substance.

When he appeared before the RM court this week, however, he said he had no knowledge of the drug in his luggage. According to him, a “fellow” gave him the suitcase to deliver to another man.

He nonetheless opted to plead guilty to the charges rather than undergo a trial.

24-year-old Briton fined $239,000 for ganja

Maria Montario, an administrative assistant from Britain, was fined over $230,000 after she pleaded guilty to possession of, dealing in and attempting to export ganja from the island earlier this month.

The 24 year-old woman had, however, earlier pleaded not guilty to the charges, claiming she had no knowledge of the 35 pounds of ganja that was found inside her suitcase.

She was stopped, searched and caught with the drug after her suitcase was searched at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay on November 23.

She was on her way back to London at the time.

When she appeared before the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate’s Court earlier this week, she was fined $15,000 or six months for possession of the drug.

For dealing in it, she was fined $56,000 or six months.

And for attempting to export it, she was fined $168,000 or six months imprisonment and additionally sentenced to four months.

RM Valerie Stephens handed down the sentence.