Cannabis trafficker fined, spared jail

A man who trafficked 15.5 kilogrammes of cannabis into Barbados has been spared jail and fined $10 000, with a prison term of three years and 182 days if he fails to pay.

Venice Keith McKenzie Stephen of Sealy Land, Government Hill, St Michael, was previously found guilty by a jury of possessing, trafficking and importing cannabis on July 15, 2020.

Defence counsel Sade Harris represented the convicted man, while acting Principal State Counsel Kevin Forde prosecuted the matter.

Delivering her sentence recently, Justice Pamela Beckles identified the nature and gravity of the offences, the large quantity of drugs, the sophistication and planning involved and the international, cross-border nature of the case as aggravating factors.

She set a six-year starting point, which was reduced by two years because Stephen had no previous convictions and was deemed at low risk of reoffending.

Noting that people who trafficked drugs should expect a custodial sentence, Justice Beckles said, however, that she had been persuaded not to impose one by the submissions of both the prosecution and defence counsel.

Stephen was ordered to pay $4 000 of the $10 000 fine for trafficking immediately, with the remaining $6 000 due in six months. If the payment is not made, he will spend three years and 182 days behind bars.

He was convicted, reprimanded and discharged on the possession and importation counts.

The case will be reviewed on March 7 2027.

During the trial, the court heard that a customs officer was on duty at EHS Freightline Limited when the accused appeared at the shed, presented his identification card and gave his name and address.

A barrel bearing the name of Williams Phillips and a Canadian address, consigned to Stephen, was presented to him. When Stephen was invited to open the barrel, the customs officer conducted a search during which 40 packages of cannabis were found.

In his defence, Stephen denied any knowledge of the drugs, saying that he had ordered food.

He said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, he had asked a man named Barry, whom he had met when he lived in Canada, to send him a barrel. He stated that when he reached customs, he realised that Barry’s name was not on the barrel and assumed that Barry had asked Phillips to send it. Stephen also told the police that he did not know any Williams Phillips.

(JB)