Ganja smuggler begs for bail to see newborn

A man who pleaded guilty to ganja charges in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court yesterday begged a judge to grant him bail as he wished to be present for his child's birth.

"Your Honour, my fiancee is eight months pregnant and I really want to be there, so I am asking if you please can allow me to accommodate that," Loukar McBean begged.

McBean and his co-accused, Anthony West, pleaded guilty to possession of, dealing in, attempting to export and conspiracy to export ganja, stemming from an incident on May 17.

It is reported that at 12:30 p.m., they arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport to check in on an outgoing Caribbean Airlines flight to Barbados. McBean's laptop bag and suitcase were searched and found to contain two parcels with vegetable matter resembling ganja hidden between the lining. The substance weighed six pounds.

When cautioned by the security officer, McBean allegedly said: "Can I speak to you in private? What can I do to make all this disappear?" When asked if he was attempting to bribe the officer, McBean said: "Officer, my babymother is pregnant and she will be having baby in the next three months, so I was doing this to buy things for the baby."

Still under caution, he was informed of the offences under the Dangerous Drugs Act. When asked where he received the vegetable matter, he said: "I bought it myself. I paid $6,000 per pound for it and paid $100,000 to package it."

"Is who set you up pon that? Talk to me," Senior Parish Judge Lori-Ann Cole-Montague asked.

"No one, Your Honour," McBean replied.

The senior judge then informed the defendant that she could not entertain a bail application from his lawyer, Steven Jackson, as his address was not verified by the police. McBean is to return to court on June 16, when a bail application is to be heard. A fingerprint order was made.

Meanwhile, West was offered $450,000 bail with at least two sureties and was ordered to report to the police three times a week. He was made the subject of a daily curfew and ordered to surrender his travel documents. West was made the subject of a fingerprint order and a stop order was imposed.

A social enquiry report was requested and his police records are to be made available on July 27, when it is expected that he will be sentenced.