St James man fined $30,000 for cocaine
ST JAMES, Jamaica- A man who the police arrested after several parcels of cocaine were found inside his yard was fined $30,000 following his appearance in the St James Parish Court on Thursday.
Christopher Fuller, 30, of Love Lane in Montego Bay appeared before presiding parish judge Sasha-Marie Smith-Ashley, charged with possession and dealing in cocaine.
According to the allegations, earlier this month, police conducted a targeted raid on premises in Love Lane, when Fuller was observed coming from the lower section of a house.
He was approached, and a search of the area was conducted, yielding 49 packets of cocaine.
When asked about the substance, he reportedly said, “Offica, a likkle dope mi a sell.”
The weight of the drug has not been ascertained.
Fuller’s lawyer, Martyn Thomas, refuted the prosecution’s claim saying that according to his instructions, his client was not coming out from under the house at that time of the morning.
“His problem is that he’s being targeted, and he insists that at the time he was in his bed sleeping upstairs…they were at his house a few days before and a week before they were there,” Thomas said.
Thomas then asked the judge for a sentence indication in case his client wanted to shorten the proceedings.
After receiving the sentence indication, Fuller pleaded guilty to possession and dealing in cocaine.
Judge Smith-Ashley then fined him $10,000 or 30 days in jail for possession of the drug and $20,000 or 30 days in jail on the dealing charge.