Two pounds of ganja seeds in wig - Hairdresser gets 18 months for using head to smuggle ganja

A hair dresser who operates from the sidewalks of downtown, Kingston, will be spending the next year and a half in prison after she was caught attempting to leave the country with almost two pounds of ganja seeds hidden in her wig and underwear.

The accused, 26-year-old Baleacha Smith, who hails from Tivoli Gardens, Kingston, pleaded guilty to possession of, dealing in, and taking steps to export ganja, but she was quick to note, "A just the seed ma'am, it wasn't the actual leaf."

However, that clarification did not sway the case against the accused, as Senior Parish Judge Judith Pusey, told her, "If you could get that amount of ganja seed into Guyana, you could plant a vast field."

No small matter

"To sit down and allow somebody to weave almost two pounds of ganja in your hair is no small matter," the judge said.

The court heard that on October 13, Smith checked in to board a flight to Georgetown, Guyana, and upon being searched by airport security, some abnormalities were felt in her wig.

When a secondary search was conducted by the police, they found the seeds concealed in brown packages in Smith's wig. Further search of her body revealed another quantity or seeds hidden in her tights.

In total, the police recovered one pound and 15 ounces of ganja.

After the allegations were read out, a dejected Smith stood teary-eyed, while her attorney pleaded with the judge to have mercy, as unfortunate circumstances led her client to make a misguided decision.

Needed assistance

The lawyer explained that Smith's mother was sickly, and her 15-year-old brother needed assistance to pay for his exams.

"She was trying to help him get the opportunity she never got because she dropped out of school. She thought there was no way out of her circumstances" the lawyer noted.

In handing down her judgement, Judge Pusey said that people should not use poverty as an excuse to commit crime.

In addition to being told she will have to spend the next 18 months behind bar, Smith was ordered to pay $7,750 or spend six months for possession, $15,500 or six months for dealing, and $31,000 or six months for exporting ganja.