By Latrishka Thomas
A Jennings woman now owes the state $20,000 after she was caught with 753 grams of cannabis in her luggage on a ferry at the River Dock in Barbuda.
On Wednesday morning, officers went to the dock where they boarded a vessel and searched all of the passengers.
While searching the luggage of the defendant – Sashalita Jones – they found a black cloth shopping bag which contained three plastic bags with a green bushy substance resembling weed inside.
When questioned, the mother-of-five said “a weed dat dey pay me”.
The substance was examined and weighed and it was discovered to be $7,530 worth of the controlled drug cannabis.
The defendant’s lawyer, Michael Archibald, told the court that Jones is affiliated with a local Rastafarian group and had been instructed to take the drugs to Barbuda.
However, the woman who is in her 30s accepted responsibility for her actions.
Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh fined Jones for possessing the drug with intention to transfer it to other persons, but reprimanded and discharged her on the charge of simple possession.
Jones was given until December 30 to pay all of the monies.