A Portland woman, caught with 3.8 kilograms (8.5 lb) of ganja, was sentenced to six months' imprisonment at hard labour when she appeared in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday.

Taneisha Parkes, 29, from Hector's River, pleaded guilty to possession of, dealing in and taking steps to export ganja. Allegations read in court are that she was destined for Port-of-Spain, Trinidad, when her luggage was searched and a false compartment with the ganja found.

Parkes told Senior Resident Magistrate Glen Brown that she was heading to Suriname and did not know that the drug was in her luggage. She said a cousin of hers had packed the bag for her. Although she told RM Brown that the cousin's name was Mark Smith, she said she did not know where the cousin was at that time.

After listening to her explanation, RM Brown fined her $13,000 or six months for possession of ganja. She was admonished and discharged for dealing and fined $40,000 or six months for taking steps to export ganja. In addition, she was sentenced to six months' imprisonment at hard labour. If fines are not paid the sentences are to run consecutively, meaning she will spend a year in prison.