British woman allegedly held with cocaine at airport gets $5 million bail

A British woman accused of attempting to smuggle seven pounds of cocaine concealed in festival mix and other food items was on Tuesday offered $5 million bail when she appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.

The woman, Sharlene Cave, 41, was granted bail by Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell on charges of possession of cocaine, dealing in cocaine, and taking steps to import cocaine.

As part of her bail conditions, Cave was ordered to surrender her travel documents, adhere to reporting requirements, and is subject to a stop order.

The allegations are that on December 14, 2025, Cave was attempting to depart Jamaica when police conducted a random search at an airport.

During a search of her luggage, the cocaine was reportedly found hidden inside food packages, including festival and dumpling mix, cake mix, and soup seasoning.

The prosecution alleged that the drugs weighed approximately seven pounds and had an estimated street value of $7 million.

Cave’s attorney, Richard Lynch, argued that his client had no knowledge that cocaine was in the packages and maintained that position from the moment the drugs were discovered.

He further submitted that Cave’s level of cooperation with investigators demonstrated that she was not a flight risk.

She is scheduled to return to court on May 13.

- Tanehsa Mundle

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