KINGSTON, Jamaica— A 54-year-old vendor whose suitcase was found to contain ammunition was granted $800,000 bail when she was called before the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Tuesday.

The woman, Conset Doyley, was charged with unauthorised possession of ammunition and possession of assorted ammunition.

It is reported that on November 21, 2024, Doyley was planning to take a trip overseas when her carry-on suitcase showed an anomaly at the security checkpoint at Norman Manley International Airport. Further checks by the police revealed nine pieces of ammunition in a compartment of the suitcase.

In her defense, attorney Christopher Townsend argued that Doyley had no knowledge that the ammunition was in the suitcase, as she had borrowed it from her son who is a licensed firearm holder and a resident of the United States.

“There was absolutely no knowledge ma’am. The items belonged to her son. She had borrowed it and came down and was returning to the US on her usual trips when the items were found,” Townsend told Parish Judge Tracy-Ann Robinson.

To further his defense of his client, Townsend presented an electronic copy of the accused’s son’s firearm license.

In petitioning for bail, the attorney cited his client’s age and address, and that she has never had any run-in of this type with the police.

The Crown rejected the bail request on three grounds; it stated that there is no way to verify the electronic version of the firearms license which was presented to the court; no way to verify that the owner of the license is her son, and that the circumstances surrounding the incident were questionable.

To further the point the prosecution asked, “The accused was leaving the country and the alleged son lives abroad. Questions arise like when was she able to get the items? Should we assume that she [initially] entered the island with them?”

In her decision to give the $800,000 bail, Parish Judge Robinson said she notes the prosecution’s concerns but does not believe that Doyley knowingly brought the ammunition, as “there is no shortage of guns in America and getting them is so easy that you can walk into a Walmart and buy them.”

The bail was granted with sureties to include Doyley visiting the Alligator Pond police station on Saturdays between 6am and 6pm. She is also expected to surrender all travel documents and a stop order placed at all ports.

Doyley is set to return to court on February 13, 2025.