Guyanese women held with cocaine at airport get 10 months in prison

The two Guyanese women who were held at the Sangster airport for attempting to smuggle a total of 21 pounds of cocaine out of Jamaica pleaded guilty when they appeared before the St James Parish Court today.

Cousins Oshaura Moses, a 21-year-old nail technician, and Abiki Moses, a 27-year-old cook, were each sentenced to 10 months' imprisonment at hard labour following their brief appearance before presiding parish judge Sasha-Marie Ashley.

The women pleaded guilty to the charges of possession of, dealing in, and attempting to export cocaine.

They both, however, pleaded not guilty to the charge of conspiracy to export cocaine.

This saw a no-evidence motion being entered by the prosecution in relation to that offence.

Despite pleading guilty to the charge of dealing in cocaine, the women were admonished and discharged by the court for that offence.

In addition to the mandatory 10-month sentence, the women were each ordered to pay a fine of $1 million or six months on the possession charge and $500,000 or six months on the attempting to export charge.

The women were arrested and charged after they sought to transport the cocaine, which has a street value of $120 million, onto a flight destined for London, England while checking in at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James on April 4.

The drugs were found in false compartments in the women's luggage.

- Christopher Thomas

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