Convicted drug smugglers weep in court
FOUR people, including a British citizen, who were charged with possession of, dealing in and taking steps to export dangerous drugs through the Norman Manley International Airport, wept in court Tuesday and pointed to the harsh economic times as the reason for them taking the risk of trying to take banned drugs out of the island.
However, their tears were not enough to prevent Resident Magistrate Jennifer Straw from imposing mandatory prison sentences on them in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court.
Valerie Mears, a 43 year-old Briton, was the most dramatic as she continually pleaded her innocence to the charges of dealing in and taking steps to export ganja.
“I never knew it was in the suitcase. The bag was given to me by a man in Priory, St Ann. He helped me pack my bag. I had the drug but I am not a dealer,” Mears beseeched.
The accused woman had been caught with 10 pounds of ganja in a hidden compartment of her suitcase as she attempted to board a flight back to the land of her birth. She was arrested and charged and taken to the New Horizon Remand Centre to await her court appearance. Mears, seeming to be overawed by the experience inside the penal institution, begged to be fined and sent home.
“Can’t you just fine me and send me home?” she asked the magistrate “I don’t want to go back to that place. It was awful. I don’t want to go back there.”
“You won’t go back to New Horizon, you will go to Fort Augusta,” RM Straw replied.
“How long will I be there?” Mears asked.
The woman was sentenced to one year in prison and charged a total of $96,000 or an additional nine months.
Mears then threw herself backward in her seat and asked loudly, “12 months?” She was led from the court with teary eyes.
Seprina Simpson, a 29 year-old resident of Clarendon, attempted to board a flight to Heathrow Airport in London when she was caught with 55 pellets of cocaine. The combined weight of the drug was one pound. Simpson was sentenced to 30 months in prison and fined $150,000 or six months for possession of, and $250,000 or six months for taking steps to export the drug. Before her sentence was read out to her, the woman broke down in tears and begged for the magistrate’s leniency.
“Mi never get in any trouble before your honour,” Simpson said with tears running down her cheeks.
Other convicted persons included 40 year-old Ruth Hunt who was caught with six pounds of marijuana strapped to her body as she attempted to go to Curacao last Saturday night. She was also fined $57,600 or nine months.
Hunt also wept bitterly in court as she mentioned her children and the lack of employment as her reason for taking the risk of exporting drugs.
The lone male to be sent to prison on drug charges, Joel Alexander, also begged the magistrate for freedom.
“I have three children and I live with my baby mother at her home. The way the economy going and you can’t get no work, I was very desperate, and the youth dem…”
At that point the magistrate butted in and scolded the accused.
“If you really love those children you would not have done this. We are having a serious problem with Jamaicans taking drugs to these countries,” Straw said.
Alexander’s sister, Samantha, also found herself on the wrong side of the law as she ended up being charged with impersonating a police officer and communicating with a prisoner. It is alleged that the woman told the officers present that she was a police officer and went into the holding area to speak with her brother. Her credentials were checked and it was found that she was not a law officer. She was arrested and charged. The woman pleaded guilty to the charge of communicating with a prisoner, but not guilty to the charge of impersonation. She was given bail in the sum of $10,000.