western bureau:

A 50-year-old St. James woman, accused of trying to smuggle six pounds of ganja out of the island in her suitcase, was granted bail in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

Glendevon resident, Joan Dunkley, who pleaded not guilty to possession, dealing and attempting to export ganja, was offered $200,000 bail. She was also ordered to report to the Mt. Salem Police Station on Mondays, Wednesday and Fridays.

Defense lawyer, Charles Sinclair, said that his client, who mothers six children and is a grandparent to three, is maintaining that she had no knowledge that there was any contraband in her luggage.

Allegations are that on September 9, Miss Dunkley went to the Sangster International Airport where she checked in on an Air Jamaica flight to Kingston with connections to Barbados.

She was stopped and searched at the security checkpoint. A suitcase in her possession was allegedly found with three packages of com-pressed ganja, hidden in three false compartments.