ST JAMES, Jamaica — A police witness testified in the St James Parish Court on Thursday that a taxi operator accused of attempting to ship cocaine overseas using an overseas courier claimed to have been duped into participating.

The officer, a detective constable assigned to Area One Narcotics, made the revelation during his evidence-in-chief in the case against Sanchez Rodney, who is on trial for possession, dealing and attempting to export cocaine.

The cop testified that he reported for duty at the narcotics office on September 21, 2022, around 1:00 pm, and was given a file with the name Sanchez Rodney. While reviewing the file, he came across specific details, so he teamed up with narcotics officers and went downtown Montego Bay.

He said he received certain information around 3:00 pm, and the team went to a petrol station on Barnett Street where he saw a man whose photograph was on the file he was investigating. He added that other officers were present on the scene.

The officer stated that he introduced himself and asked for the man’s name, to which he replied that his name was Sanchez Nathaniel Rodney and then presented his driver’s licence.

“I cautioned him and asked him if he recalled shipping any package to anyone on February 4, 2022, and he said yes,” the police witness said, adding that Rodney told him that a man paid him to send off the package.

The officer stated that he informed Rodney of the findings and asked him if he knew the person who asked him to ship the package, to which he replied that he was one of his passengers, an American, and that he [Rodney] was a taxi driver.

The officer stated that he asked Rodney if he was the one who packed the items, and he responded, “Yes! The man gave me a plastic bag, which I packed in a brown box.”

The police witness continued: “I asked him if he knows what was in the box, and he said seasoning and tea… He said he didn’t know anything about the drugs and that he got tricked.”

Continuing his evidence, the witness stated that, with the assistance of his colleagues, Rodney was then escorted to the narcotics office where he informed him of the offence and later charged him.

The officer added that when Rodney was cautioned, he said, “A taxi mi run; a trick di man trick mi.”

During cross-examination, Defence attorney Henry McCurdy asked the officer why he was the one who charged his client, and he explained that the initial investigating officer was on vacation abroad at the time.

There was no additional witness called to the stand, and the case has been scheduled to continue on March 27.

Rodney’s bail was extended.

According to court records, on February 4, 2022, around 1:00 pm, the Contraband Enforcement Team was conducting security checks on outgoing shipments at a Montego Bay courier service company when a box was checked. The narcotics officers were called and the box was checked and was found to contain four ounces of cocaine.

Rodney was arrested following an investigation.