Dutchman’s cocaine trafficking sentence put off to Sept 18

WESTERN BUREAU:

Patrick Crawford, the Dutch national who plead guilty to trying to smuggle $28.3 million worth of cocaine through the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St. James, is to be sentenced on September 18.

Crawford, a 44-year-old carpenter of a Rotherdam, Holland address, who was charged with possession of, dealing in, and attempting to export nine pounds of cocaine, received the sentencing date and was remanded in custody when he appeared before presiding Judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

During Crawford’s court appearance, his attorney, Henry McCurdy, asked for additional time to review his client’s social enquiry report.

“I just got the social enquiry report, and I need to have some consultation with Mr Crawford. May I have Wednesday, September 18 [for sentencing]?” McCurdy asked Fairclough-Hylton.

“Not a problem,” the judge replied. “Mr Crawford, I will sentence you on September 18, to give your attorney some time to take some instructions as it relates to this report,” Fairclough-Hylton told Crawford.

The sentencing hearing was previously scheduled for Wednesday during Crawford’s previous court appearance on July 25. At that time, McCurdy requested the social enquiry report following Crawford’s guilty plea.

According to court documents, on May 9 at about 5 p.m., Crawford attempted to board a flight to Brussels, Belgium, at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay.

While checking in to board the flight, Crawford was approached and spoken to by Narcotics personnel, following which his luggage was searched. The cocaine was found in false compartments inside his luggage. He was arrested and charged for breaching the Dangerous Drugs Act.

Crawford first appeared before the St James Parish Court on May 20 and was remanded, as McCurdy did not seek bail for him then due to the defendant not being a Jamaican citizen and not having ties to the island.

The case was again mentioned on June 10, at which time Crawford complained about the untidy state of the holding area where he was kept. He also claimed that his requests for the police to take him for medical treatment were not met.

At his follow-up court date on June 24, the defendant was physically absent from court as he was hospitalised at that time.

On July 15, the case was put off because the forensic certificate was outstanding from the prosecution’s case file. The matter was later mentioned on July 24, at which time the forensic report was still outstanding, and it was on that day that Crawford entered his guilty plea.