April 3, 2024
Ramp attendant on drug trial to know fate April 12
MONTEGO BAY, St James — Jermaine Scott, the airport ramp worker who was allegedly found to have 2.5 kilogrammes of cocaine hidden in his work raincoat, will learn in a few days if he is found innocent or guilty of the crime.
Both his attorney, Henry McCurdy, and the prosecution presented their closing arguments to presiding judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley at St James Parish Court on Tuesday.
Following his arrest in January 2023 at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, Scott has been on trial for the offences of possessing, dealing in and attempting to export cocaine.
During closing arguments on Tuesday, attorney McCurdy declared that the prosecution’s assertions that the raincoat in which the cocaine was allegedly found belonged to Scott, and that he had gone to retrieve it from a bathroom at the time of his arrest, were senseless and without foundation.
“Only a mad man would have contraband in a room and turn back for it to pass by the customs officer. The real issue is, is Mr Scott a mad man? Any person who turned back, picked up a raincoat with cocaine, and tried to pass a customs officer would have to be a mad man. But my client said from the witness box, ‘I am not a mad man’,” said McCurdy, referencing testimony Scott had previously given during his evidence-in-chief.
“We are not saying cocaine was not found, but was the cocaine in the possession, control, and knowledge of Mr Scott? We are saying no. Mr Scott was not in possession of that raincoat with its contents. The Crown has failed to prove that Mr Scott was in possession of that raincoat; they have failed miserably,” McCurdy added.
Meanwhile, the prosecution claimed in its closing arguments that the testimony of its three prosecution witnesses was legitimate and truthful, and that Scott’s position at the Sangster International Airport would have given him the opportunity to smuggle the cocaine onto the airline ramps.
Judge Smith-Ashley then postponed her judgement in the trial until April 12 and extended Scott’s bail to that date because she was not in a position to review the evidence during Tuesday’s court proceedings.
Scott was arrested at the Sangster International Airport on January 29, 2023 by investigators assigned to the Narcotics Division, after the cocaine was allegedly found in his possession during a law enforcement operation by the Narcotics and the Customs Contraband Enforcement Team. The cocaine reportedly had a street value of approximately US$125,000 (J$19.2 million).
The allegations against Scott are that he was seen trying to retrieve a blue raincoat from behind a cubicle in a bathroom at the airport, which was found to contain four rectangular packages with cocaine. He was subsequently arrested and charged.