Senior Parish Court Judge Sanchia Burrell has suggested that two men charged in connection with a ganja seizure at the Norman Manley International Airport stop wasting the court’s time and plead guilty to the offence for which they have been charged.
Artnel Grant and Christopher Cummings were arrested by members of the Narcotics Division and members of the Jamaica Customs Contraband Enforcement Team in February.
The two men were reportedly seen inside a car in the airport parking lot when their actions aroused suspicions. They were accosted and searched, along with the vehicle. A grey suitcase was found hidden in the vehicle’s trunk, where 34 parcels and a clear plastic bag containing green vegetable matter resembling ganja. The weight of the package is said to be 51 pounds. The court also heard that $1.2 million in cash was also found in the vehicle.
Prosecutors reiterated that video footage showed the accused handling the suitcase before it was seized. “They were seen on video footage passing the suitcase, and that same suitcase was seized at a parking lot at the airport,” the prosecutor explained.
“How do you explain that?” Burrell asked bluntly, when the matter was mentioned in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Wednesday.
She then turned her attention to the defence attorney.
“Your clients know what they did, so don’t tell me that you need disclosure to have a conversation. They can say to you, ‘Look here, I have been caught,’ because what your clients do is put pressure on the State and cause the matters to stay in the court for an inordinately long time,” she said.
Burrell also emphasised the importance of entering an early guilty plea, highlighting the consequences of delaying the inevitable.
“When the case is so obvious, what are we doing? Waiting for video? Let me explain something to you, the police are doing their jobs. Have sensible conversations with your lawyer. When you go to trial and are found guilty, you are more likely to go to prison. When you agree to what you do as early as possible, you are more likely–more likely, I’m not guaranteeing anything–you are more likely to go home,” she said.
The judge didn’t shy away from using her signature candour, pointing out that the accused could not feign ignorance. “Fifty-one pounds! If it’s one pound of ganja, yuh smell it. They can’t even say they don’t know it’s ganja,” she remarked, underscoring the weight of the evidence.
The judge “reluctantly extended” the men’s bail until February 17, 2025, when the matter will again be mentioned.
Source: Jamaica Star
