Briton sentenced for attempting to smuggle cocaine in craft items
Published:Friday | June 28, 2024 | 12:10 AMChristopher Thomas/Gleaner Writer
WESTERN BUREAU:
British national Sianece Clarke-Johnson has been sentenced to six months’ imprisonment or a fine of $300,000 after being convicted on cocaine-smuggling charges.
On February 26, Clarke-Johnson checked in at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James, to board a flight to London, England.
During a search of her luggage, approximately 1.6 kilogrammes of cocaine, valuing approximately $7.6 million, was found concealed in Jamaican craft items.
Clarke-Johnson, who had previously pleaded guilty to possession of, dealing in, and attempting to export 1.6 kilogrammes of cocaine, was also ordered to pay a combined $900,000 in fines when she appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.
During the sentencing hearing, her attorney, Tom Tavares Finson, KC, urged presiding parish judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton to consider a number of factors when determining the sentence.
“What I’m going to ask, M’Lady, is that in arriving at the appropriate sentence here, the court takes into consideration that the defendant entered a plea of guilty. The social enquiry report suggests someone who has had a difficult time … . Hopefully, the four months in custody [would] have taught her a lesson,” Tavares Finson said.
Clarke-Johnson, reportedly, had told the authorities early in the investigation that she had been influenced to transport the illicit substance overseas.
Judge Fairclough-Hylton stressed that Clarke-Johnson’s experience should serve as a deterrent to other persons who may likewise attempt to take part in the illicit drug trade as transporters or couriers.
“I note the interview that you had with the probation officer and that you indicated the circumstances under which you took the items. This is to deter others from taking on this role of courier or taking things to other individuals which contain illegal substances,” said Fairclough-Hylton.
Clarke-Johnson was subsequently ordered to pay $300,000 or spend six months in prison on each of the charges of possession of, dealing in, and attempting to export cocaine. The prison sentences are to run concurrently.