Tashieka Mair, Star Writer

western bureau

A Westmoreland taxi driver who was held at the Sangster International Airport attempting to leave the island with a half of a pound of cocaine, was granted bail in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.

Christopher Young of a Negril address, is facing charges of possession, dealing and attempting to export cocaine.

Young says he is guilty of having it in his suitcase, but said he had no knowledge that the packages he was carrying had cocaine.

A not-guilty plea was endorsed and entered on court records.

Allegations are that on December 16, the officer was carrying out narcotics checks for an Air Canada flight when his sniffer dog alerted him to the accused man's suitcase.

Young was subsequently summoned to the luggage chute where the suitcase was searched in his presence. Two parcels of white powdery substance resembling cocaine were recovered from the base of the suitcase.

He told the court on Tuesday that he got the parcels from a relative to deliver to someone in Canada. He said he did not check what was inside the package and was terrified to discover that it was cocaine.

Granted bail

Young, who was unrepresented, was granted bail in the sum of $100,000 with surety and with conditions that he report to the Negril Police Station on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. He is to surrender his travel documents and a stop-order is to be imposed at all ports of exit and entry.

He is to return to court on February 5. In the meantime, the court is awaiting a forensic report to confirm that the substance recovered is in fact cocaine.