Teacher pleads not guilty to smuggling ganja

A St Elizabeth teacher who was reportedly caught trying to smuggle a little over five pounds of compressed ganja to Barbados is scheduled to return to the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on September 6.

The 32-year-old educator, Antonette Sutherland, was charged with possession of, dealing in, and taking steps preparatory to exporting ganja after the drugs were reportedly found in false compartments in her handbag and leather pouch.

However, police say that when the Sutherland was cautioned, she said: “I was told I was only getting the handbag with the drugs. I never knew I was getting the pouch; it was not a mistake, it was a chance.”

The accused, however, had pleaded not guilty to the charges when she appeared in court before Chief Parish Judge Chester Crooks on Wednesday. Her bail was extended. A trial date is yet to be fixed.

Sutherland is represented by attorney-at-law Christopher Townsend.

The teacher was held at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on November 22, 2020, when she checked in to board a flight to the Caribbean island.

The total weight of the marijuana was 5lb 2.5oz.