Two Canadians were last Wednesday sentenced to three months behind bars after each pleaded guilty to attempting to smuggle 29 lbs of ganja each out of the country on October 21.

The court was told that Ryan Fornier and Mercilene Bradley, whose addresses were not specified, were both attempting to board a plane to Canada when they were stopped and their luggage taken to a section of the airport and x-rayed.

The x-ray led to the discovery of a total of 58 lbs of ganja in their luggage – 29 lbs in each bag. The two were arrested and charged with possession of ganja, dealing in ganja and taking steps to export ganja.

When they appeared in court on Wednesday, the presiding magistrate, Glen Brown, dismissed the charge of dealing against them, however he ordered both to pay fines of $15,000 on the possession charge and $235,000 on the charge of taking steps to export ganja, or else spend six months in prison.

In addition, he sentenced both to three months’ imprisonment. However, should the two fail to pay the fines, the six-month stint will run consecutive to the three-month sentence, leaving both to serve a total of nine months behind bars.

Meanwhile, last Friday two English nationals were sentenced to 18 months’ and three months’ imprisonment respectively after both pleaded guilty to attempting to export a combined two-and-a-half pounds of cocaine out of the country last month.

According to the prosecution, 46-year-old Patrick Glasgow, whose address was not given, was spotted earlier this month at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston by officers on duty, who stopped and searched him. He was subsequently taken to a hospital where he expelled 104 small pellets of cocaine, weighing approximately one-and-three-quarters of a pound. He was charged with possession of cocaine and taking steps to export cocaine.

The court was also told by attorney Melrose Reid, who spoke on Glasow’s behalf, that he attempted to smuggle the drugs in order to alleviate a “predicament” he had found himself in. She also noted that Glasgow had a daughter who was dependent on him for her well-being, and asked Brown to be lenient imposing a sentence.

However, the presiding magistrate, Glen Brown, sentenced Glasgow to 18 months behind bars on each charge, to run concurrently.

Not long after Glasgow’s sentencing, 29-year-old Ricardo Marshall, whose address was also not stated, was led into the dock to answer to the same charges after attempting to smuggle three quarters of a pound of cocaine out of the country.

Speaking also on Marshall’s behalf, Reid told the court that he got involved in drugs in order to repay a loan he received to assist in burying his dead mother. Marshall, Reid also said, had expected to use the cocaine to generate funds to repay the loan, as well as mollify the lenders, as they were allegedly of the opinion that Marshall had run off with the money and had been threatening members of his family.

Brown was quick to note, however, that cocaine had destroyed dozens of lives over the years, and that Marshall, by his actions, was contributing to this.

“Have you ever thought of the amount of lives [you] have destroyed with that substance?” Brown asked.

He then sentenced Marshall to three months behind bars on each charge, to run concurrently.