Three foreigners slapped with heavy fines for drug importation

Three non-nationals – two from the United States and one from Canada – have been slapped with a total of $150 000 in fines after admitting to importing marijuana into Barbados last weekend.

Malachi Telfair Wright, Joseph Zhi-Yang Chan and Ebraheem Bala Ceesay, all charged separately, also pleaded guilty to trafficking and having possession of the illegal substance with intent to supply.

They were fined for their crimes on Monday when they appeared before Magistrate Elwood Watts, who presides over the St Matthias Magistrates’ Court, after being held on arrival at the Grantley Adams International Airport on March 12.

When 20-yar-old Wright of Orange County, Florida, United States arrived from New York and his luggage was searched, officers discovered 34 transparent plastic-wrapped packages containing vegetable matter. The contraband weighed 18.80 kilogrammes, with an estimated street value of $150 400.

After hearing the facts of the matter from Sergeant Victoria Taitt and submissions on mitigation from Wright’s attorney Harry Husbands, Magistrate Watts imposed a $60 000 forthwith fine on the accused on the importation charge and convicted, reprimanded and discharged him on the others. Failure to pay the fine would see Watts serving the alternative of 24 months in prison.

He was remanded to reappear before Magistrate Watts on March 29.

Chan, a drug trafficker from 33 Grove Hill Drive, Toronto, Canada, was found with packages of cannabis wrapped in a bedsheet as well as 25 taped packages in his luggage. The drugs weighed 13. 85 kilogrammes and had an estimated street value of $110 800.

The 30-year-old man, who was represented by attorney-at-law Angella Mitchell-Gittens, was slapped with a $40 000 forthwith fine or the alternative of 24 months in prison for the drug importation.

On the other charges, he was convicted, reprimanded and discharged. Chan was also remanded to reappear before the court on March 18.

Cannabis weighing 16. 20 kilogrammes and having a street value of about $129 600 was found in 33 vacuum-sealed packages in the suitcase of 20-year-old Ceesay of Prince George County, Maryland, United States.

For importing the drugs, he was fined an immediate sum of $50 000 with the alternative sentence of 24 months in prison.

Ceesay, who was represented by attorney -at-law Harry Husbands, was also convicted, reprimanded and discharged on the other offences and will reappear before the court on March 29.