By Elesha George
A Golden Grove man was fined EC$45,000 on drug-related charges when he appeared before Chief Magistrate Joanne Walsh on Tuesday.
As a first-time offender, the magistrate exercised leniency and gave Dane Airall Jr until December 30, 2022 to pay the court with the condition that he may, through his lawyer, apply for an extension if he is unable to pay the full amount by that time.
She also ruled that the monies found on the man’s premises and inside his home must be forfeited to the state.
His attorney Wendel Robinson attempted to argue against the forfeiture, reasoning that the police would have to prove, beyond reasonable doubt, that close to EC$43,000, plus more than US$8,000 as well as notes in other currencies, were as a direct result of the sale of drugs.
He put forward the argument that some of that money was made legitimately, since Airall was employed as a taxi driver, owned a snackette, and his fiancée operated a salon – each making $4,000 monthly, according to the defendant’s statement.
The monies were found in various places within the home along with a digital scale, a plastic bag sealer, a slew of Ziplock bags, five .38 rounds of ammunition and one .45 bullet wrapped in tissue. Police also found several transparent bags of cannabis, totalling an estimated EC$16,140 in value.
Despite several attempts to put forward his argument, Magistrate Walsh said that the evidence was undeniable and pointed to the sale of drugs, with the snackette being used as a front.
“That is what happens when you’re running drugs,” she uttered, noting that both had bank accounts but opted to save the money inside their homes, which made it more suspicious.
Last Thursday, the police used a search warrant to enter the premises of Airall and his fiancée where they found 3.55 pounds of cannabis, six rounds of ammunition and over EC$50,000 in cash.
Both Airall and his fiancée were charged with possession of the ammunition, possession of the drugs, intent to transfer the drugs and being concerned with their supply, but Airall said he was the only one responsible and pleaded guilty to all but the latter charge.
The charges against his fiancée were dropped.