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Former AJAS supervisor jailed for drug-smuggling
PAUL A REID, Observer West writer
Thursday, January 29, 2009
MONTEGO BAY, St James
Patricia Henry, a former AJAS Customer Service senior supervisor from Trelawny was on Friday sentenced to two and half years in prison and fined over half a million dollars after being found guilty of trying to smuggle over 70lbs of ganja out of the country in July 2007.
Senior Resident Magistrate Winsome Henry who imposed the sentence said the accused woman had - given her position of trust- breached the trust of the entire country, the airport and her former employers.
The judge told the 33-year-old woman she had ample time and opportunities to have confessed to her wrongs but insisted on her innocence even in the face of "overwhelming evidence" against her.
Defence attorney George Thomas pleaded with the judge for leniency, noting his client had been in custody for two months before being given bail in 2007 and had the case hanging over her head ever since.
Henry was sentenced to two years and six months on all three counts of possession of ganja, dealing in ganja and taking steps to export ganja.
She was fined $15,000 or six months on the possession count and $500,000 or six months on the count of attempting to export ganja.
Henry is facing a fourth charge, conspiracy to export ganja after she was charged along with another Trelawny resident, Roland Williams. This case will continue next week.
Both were arrested in August 2007 after two suitcases containing 72lbs 4.92 ounces of ganja were intercepted at the Sangster International Airport.
The suitcases were tagged in the name of a passenger destined for Manchester, England on a Thomson Airways flight.
When the passenger was summoned, the court heard that she had only checked in one piece of luggage. This was confirmed by the arresting officer who had seen her when she arrived.
It was also found out that the two suitcases with the ganja had been checked in after the passenger had already boarded the flight.
PAUL A REID, Observer West writer
Thursday, January 29, 2009
MONTEGO BAY, St James
Patricia Henry, a former AJAS Customer Service senior supervisor from Trelawny was on Friday sentenced to two and half years in prison and fined over half a million dollars after being found guilty of trying to smuggle over 70lbs of ganja out of the country in July 2007.
Senior Resident Magistrate Winsome Henry who imposed the sentence said the accused woman had - given her position of trust- breached the trust of the entire country, the airport and her former employers.
The judge told the 33-year-old woman she had ample time and opportunities to have confessed to her wrongs but insisted on her innocence even in the face of "overwhelming evidence" against her.
Defence attorney George Thomas pleaded with the judge for leniency, noting his client had been in custody for two months before being given bail in 2007 and had the case hanging over her head ever since.
Henry was sentenced to two years and six months on all three counts of possession of ganja, dealing in ganja and taking steps to export ganja.
She was fined $15,000 or six months on the possession count and $500,000 or six months on the count of attempting to export ganja.
Henry is facing a fourth charge, conspiracy to export ganja after she was charged along with another Trelawny resident, Roland Williams. This case will continue next week.
Both were arrested in August 2007 after two suitcases containing 72lbs 4.92 ounces of ganja were intercepted at the Sangster International Airport.
The suitcases were tagged in the name of a passenger destined for Manchester, England on a Thomson Airways flight.
When the passenger was summoned, the court heard that she had only checked in one piece of luggage. This was confirmed by the arresting officer who had seen her when she arrived.
It was also found out that the two suitcases with the ganja had been checked in after the passenger had already boarded the flight.
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