Third of four airport employees walks free of cocaine rap
Published:Friday | September 8, 2023 | 12:10 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
BRELANIE REID, one of two airport employees who have been on trial for allegedly attempting to smuggle over 11 kilogrammes of cocaine on to a flight destined for Canada in 2021, walked free from the St James Parish Court yesterday following a no-case submission in her matter.
Reid, a 23-year-old aviation security officer who was before the court along with co-defendant Indra Waite, was on trial for breaching the Civil Aviation Act.
She was freed by presiding parish judge Sasha-Marie Ashley after the prosecution admitted that it was not able to proceed any further with its case against her due to insufficient evidence.
“Ms Reid, the prosecution, having assessed the material that they have against you, have determined that it is insufficient to establish a prima facie [self-obvious] case against you as they are ministers of justice. It means that rather than have you continue until the point when they close their case, whenever that would be, they are offering no further evidence against you at this time, which means I must enter a formal verdict of not guilty against you,” Ashley told Reid before allowing her to leave the courtroom.
The ruling was handed down after the prosecution admitted that video footage that they were hoping to rely on to build their case against Reid would not be sufficient on its own and that they had no additional material to bring into evidence against her.
NO-CASE SUBMISSION
The no-case submission for Reid, who was represented by attorney-at-law Martyn Thomas, makes her the third defendant in the case to be freed after two former co-defendants, Tavon Murray and Romaine Kerr, were previously released following similar submissions in the St James Parish Court.
Murray, who was charged with conspiracy to export cocaine, was freed at the start of the trial on November 16, 2022, after the prosecution elected to drop the conspiracy charge against all of the accused persons. Kerr, who was charged with possession of, dealing in, and attempting to export cocaine, was freed on July 4 this year due to the prosecution’s inability to present a solid case against him.
In the meantime, following Thursday’s no-case ruling for Reid, Waite had her bail extended for her trial’s continuation on October 3 after the court was told that an additional prosecution witness who is to give evidence was absent due to illness.
Waite, a 43-year-old security supervisor, is charged with possession of criminal property and aiding and abetting. She is represented by attorney-at-law Henry McCurdy.
The allegations in the case are that on October 10, 2021, a bag with 11.4 kilogrammes of cocaine, valued at $88.1 million, was placed on board a Sun Wing aircraft, which was scheduled to depart for Canada from the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.
The cocaine was intercepted at the Toronto Pearson International Airport in Canada, and one person was arrested in relation to the seizure.
Following top-level investigations, Waite and her now former co-defendants were also arrested and charged in relation to the seizure.