Ganja found in slippers

A senior member of the judiciary has called for warnings to be posted in police stations, to discourage members of the public from smuggling contraband into custody.

"In some countries, there are announcements made at the airports about the penalty for carrying drugs into the country, and when the planes land, you actually see people leaving bags behind. I think the police need to say to the people 'If you did not pack it, don't take it.' They need to say that at every police station because that is the defence everyone gives when they are brought here," Senior Parish Judge Sanchia Burrell argued.

Her comments came following the not-guilty plea of Tamara Henton, who is accused of attempting to smuggle in ganja and a cell phone in a pair of slippers into the Constant Spring lock-ups. Allegations outlined by prosecutors in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court on Monday stated that on September 8 about 10:45 a.m., Henton was visiting her brother at the lock-ups with food and clothes. During a mandatory search of the items, a bulge was noticed in the soles of the slippers. A plastic bag containing green vegetable matter and a cell phone wrapped in duct tape were found. The official weight of the substance is not yet known.

However, Henton's lawyer submitted that her client was approached by a woman outside of the police station, who indicated that she had a pair of slippers for the man in custody.

"We actually have witnesses Your Honour, and there is actually video footage to show her [Henton] standing in line and a woman approaching her with the slippers for her brother. They gave her the slippers because only one family member was being allowed inside," the lawyer explained.

"She did not pack the slippers Your Honour," the attorney-at-law added.

The matter was adjourned until January 28, 2025 to facilitate file completion and for a trial date to be decided.