MONTEGO BAY, St James — A man who said he had no idea what cocaine even looked like after being accused of attempting to smuggle three pounds of the drug, concealed in food packets, out of Jamaica has been acquitted of all charges in the St James Parish Court.

Lloyd Swimmer, a 68-year-old domestic assistant of London, England, was last Tuesday found not guilty of possession of cocaine, dealing in cocaine, attempting to export cocaine, and conspiracy.

The ruling was handed down by presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton, who accepted submissions from defence attorney Martyn Thomas and found that the prosecution had failed to meet the required standard of proof. The court was not satisfied that Swimmer knew cocaine was present in his luggage.

In her ruling the judge placed significant weight on the credibility of the prosecution’s civilian witness, finding her evidence unreliable due to inconsistencies exposed during cross-examination. The court also accepted the defence submission that the case did not involve wilful blindness, noting that Swimmer had taken reasonable steps to verify the contents of items given to him before placing them in his suitcase — conduct inconsistent with knowingly transporting illicit substances.

Accordingly, the court found that the prosecution had not proven its case beyond a reasonable doubt, and Swimmer was acquitted of all charges.

The allegations stemmed from an incident at the Sangster International Airport departure lounge on February 23, 2025, when the investigating officer, acting on information received, proceeded to the area with a colleague.

Swimmer was observed standing in line at the check-in counter for a flight to Heathrow, London, accompanied by a woman. The officers approached and identified themselves.

When asked if they were travelling together, the woman replied, “No, only him alone a travel.” Swimmer then provided his travel documents when requested.

He stated he was travelling with two pieces of luggage — a large suitcase and a carry-on — and consented to a search. He confirmed the suitcase was the same one he had brought to Jamaica, that he was responsible for its contents, and that no one had given him anything to take to the United Kingdom.

A search of the large suitcase revealed nothing illegal. During the encounter the woman briefly hugged Swimmer, said she was leaving, and departed the area.

The allegations are that attention then turned to the carry-on luggage in which cops found a brown shopping bag containing three packets bearing the label of a well known brand of coffee and one labelled almond porridge mix. When one coffee packet was pierced, a white powdery substance was observed and tested positive for cocaine.

Swimmer was cautioned and told of the suspicion.

He responded, “I don’t know, I’ve never seen cocaine before.”

When asked about the items, he said, “A di bag wha Kay give mi. Officer, mi barely can see, mi have glaucoma inna mi eyes.”

He was later escorted to the Firearms and Narcotics Investigation Division (FNID), where the packets were further examined and found to contain rectangular packages of a white powdery substance later confirmed as cocaine, weighing three pounds and 11 ounces.

Swimmer was arrested and charged under the Dangerous Drugs Act.

“It is a matter of considerable relief that Swimmer has been fully exonerated. His ordeal has now come to an end, and he is in a position to move forward and resume his life,” the defence attorney said after the ruling.