Farmer gets two years for trying to ship ganja

Alton Anderson, the Westmoreland farmer who tried to ship almost two dozen packages containing ganja using the postal services, was on Thursday sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment at hard labour.

Anderson was charged on a 120-count indictment for breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act. He pleaded guilty on a previous occasion in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court to 30 counts each for possession of, dealing in, attempting to export ganja and conspiracy to export ganja. The police say over a two-year period, Anderson, who is from Revival district, attempted to use Jamaica's postal service to ship 22 packages with ganja worth $1 million to Canada.

At his sentencing hearing, Senior Parish Judge Lori-Anne Cole-Montaque gave him the opportunity to say something before he was carted off to prison.

I suspect you know how this is going to go. It's hard for you not to go to prison with 30 counts of possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, attempting to export ganja and conspiracy to export ganja and I see that you have six previous convictions," the judge indicated.

"I wish I could send love to my kids and family," the 49-year-old said, while standing in the prisoner's dock. On counts one to 10 of attempting to export ganja, Anderson was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment at hard labour and fined $120,000 or eight months' imprisonment. On counts 11 to 30 of attempting to export ganja, he was sentenced to 24 months' imprisonment at hard labour as well as a fine of $100,000 or eight months' imprisonment.

On each count of possession of ganja, Cole-Montaque imposed a fine of $15,000 or six months' imprisonment. Anderson was admonished and discharged on each count of dealing in ganja and conspiracy to export ganja. The sentences are to run concurrently.