A twenty-eight-year-old man who was found with a quantity of cocaine concealed in the covers of a cookbook and a photo album in his suitcase at the Timehri airport was jailed for four years and ordered to pay a fine of $3M when he appeared before Magistrate Hazel Octive-Hamilton.
Orlando Humphrey pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when he appeared at the George-town Magistrate’s Court.
It was reported that on October 23 at the airport Humphrey was an outgoing passenger on a Caribbean Airlines flight to Barbados when custom officers observ-ed him acting in a suspicious manner. Humphrey was stopped by the officers, questioned and a search was conducted on him and his luggage which had already been checked-in. While the officers were checking the contents of the suitcase a quantity of suspected cocaine was found concealed in the covers of one photo album, one cookbook, one book folder and in the pockets of a computer case.
Humphrey was then arrested and taken to the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) Headquarters, Eve Leary where the substance found was identified as 3.4 kilogrammes of cocaine. Humphrey was told of the offence by police officers, charged and placed before the court.
However Humphrey stated that on the day in question his ‘friends’ had put his luggage and handbag (the computer case containing the cookbook and album along with other paper documents) into the car that was taking him to the airport. He stated that the ‘friends’ told him that the books could not fit properly into the handbag and proceeded to put them into the suitcase. Humphrey later stated that after he had checked in at the airport and was awaiting his departure flight, he and another man were called upon by the customs officers to go into a checkroom at the airport where a search was conducted on them and their luggage and narcotics was discovered in the books in his suitcase.
“Your worship I was not aware that these things (cocaine) were in my possession, cause deh (his ‘friends’) told me that I am going to Barbados on a fashion weekend.”
Humphrey noted that the said ‘friends also instructed him to hand over the bag with the book to a man when he had gotten to Barbados.
“All I want is fuh dem (his ‘friends’) fuh get punish fuh de act deh commit against me,” said Humphrey.
The magistrate then ordered Humphrey to pay the fine and sentenced him to four years imprisonment.
