News

Woman smuggled ganja for love

By PAUL A. REID, Staff Reporter

western bureau

A JAPANESE WOMAN whose attorney told the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday she agreed to smuggle about 9.98kg (22lbs) of ganja out of love for a man she met in Jamaica, was sentenced to eight months in jail.

Twenty-five-year-old telephone operator Aoi Yamaki of a Tokyo address was also fined $191,000 after she pleaded guilty to possession of, dealing in and taking steps preparatory to exporting ganja.

Yamaki was held at the Sangster International Airport on February 22 at around 7:45pm when the dark blue suitcase she had checked in was searched at the security check point and found to contain 11 parcels of compressed ganja was found in a secret compartment.

The court heard that when asked about it she denied knowledge of it.

In court yesterday, attorney at law Mr Clive Mullings who represented Yamaki asked the court to show leniency. He told the court, the accused woman had met a young man while she was here on vacation and he asked her to take back the drugs telling her it was no big deal as it grew naturally in Jamaica.

She was fined $15,000 or six months for possession and $176,000 or six months for taking steps to export ganja.

She was also sentenced to eight months mandatory and would serve and additional 12 months if the fines are not paid as Resident Magistrate Evan Brown ruled the sentences are to run consecutively if the fines are not paid.