MONTEGO BAY, St James — A man who was charged in connection with the seizure of a significant quantity of ganja at Sangster International Airport was fined in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

Shaquel Morales of Queens, New York, was charged with possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, importing ganja, and conspiracy to import ganja. He was represented by attorney Martyn Thomas.

Reports are that about 10:30 am on March 26, law enforcement officers, acting on information received, proceeded to a Customs search area where Morales was being examined by a contraband enforcement officer attached to the Jamaica Customs Agency. He had arrived on a flight from Miami, United States.

During a search of a grey suitcase, officers observed multiple packages suspected to contain ganja. Morales was cautioned and informed that importing ganja without a licence was an offence, then escorted to a further search location for detailed examination.

At that location, he reportedly told officers he lived in Queens, and provided a hotel as his Jamaican address. However, he was unable to produce any reservation, and investigators later confirmed that no such hotel was currently operating in Jamaica. Further checks of his C5 declaration form showed he listed the same hotel as his Jamaican address, along with an address in Atlanta, Georgia, which differed from the New York address he provided to officers, raising concerns regarding a false declaration.

At the further stages of questioning, officers said they told him there was no hotel currently operating in Jamaica at the address provided, at which point he reportedly said his cousin was going to send someone for him. Morales was unable to provide the name of his cousin.

When asked who he was transporting the ganja for, he reportedly replied, “I’m no snitch”. When further asked who was expected to collect him from the airport, he responded, “It is mine, why you need to get a cab driver?”

He was further questioned about the ganja found in his possession, and indicated that he would not answer any further questions without his lawyer.

A subsequent detailed search of the suitcase uncovered 12 vacuum-sealed packages containing ganja, weighing approximately 14 pounds, which were secured as evidence.

He was taken into custody and later transported to the Montego Bay Police Station. During a question-and-answer session conducted in the presence of his attorney on March 28, he reportedly answered, “I am innocent” to all questions posed.

In mitigation, Thomas stated that his client was of the impression that the substance was going to a legal facility. The lawyer explained that Morales came to Jamaica on a spring break trip and that his cousin, who operates a cannabis dispensary in Jamaica and also does business with another dispensary in Atlanta, asked him to collect the packages of marijuana from the dispensary in Atlanta and bring them to Jamaica so that they could be sold in the cousin’s dispensary.

“He assumed that all the import permits here were granted and that he was able to travel with the items because he was told that it was no problem when he got to Jamaica,” Thomas explained.

Thomas further stated that when Morales arrived in Jamaica he went into the red declaration line, and that was when his problems started. However, the court clerk indicated that she had not seen where he declared that he was carrying ganja.

As it relates to the false declaration on the C5 form, Thomas explained that before Morales came to Jamaica he had no reservation to stay anywhere, but he just went ahead and put a specific hotel on the C5 form which is a hotel he stayed at before during one of his visits to Jamaica, but it was not his intention to stay there.

“He was on the aircraft, learnt that he had to do the declaration electronically, and he went ahead and filled it out and the resort address was the first that came to mind so he input that information there… He did not realise until very late that he was to fill out this form, and not armed with the information as to where his cousin was residing or where he would be staying, he went ahead and put this information in the system.”

Thomas said his client admitted he was wrong and asked the court for leniency, noting that he has no previous convictions and posed no danger to the Jamaican public or in his home country. He asked that a non-custodial sentence be imposed.

Before sentencing, the judge noted awareness that legal dispensaries exist in both the United States and Jamaica, but cautioned that Morales must be careful in his actions.

Addressing his comment “I’m no snitch,” the judge warned that such language could be interpreted as an indication of support for illegal activity and advised that he could have, instead, requested to speak with a lawyer.

Morales was fined $56,000 or 30 days for possession of ganja; $112,000 or 30 days for dealing in ganja; $112,000 or three months for importing ganja; and $20,000 or 30 days for making a false declaration. No evidence was offered on the conspiracy charge.