A Jamaican national was yesterday sentenced to four years imprisonment and a $2M fine for narcotics trafficking by Magistrate Hazel-Octive Hamilton at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

Keisha Ann-Maria Piggott, 25, pleaded guilty to the charge, which stated that on May 11 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri she had in her possession 2.272 kilos of cocaine, for the purpose of trafficking.

Keisha Ann-Maria Piggott

The police prosecutor, in giving the facts of the case, explained to the court that Piggott was an outgoing passenger on Caribbean Airlines flight 1416 to Trinidad and the cocaine was found as her suitcase was being scanned. He added that the suitcase was searched in the presence of Piggott and the narcotic was found concealed in a false bottom. The prosecutor further stated that she was subsequently arrested, told of the offence committed and charged.

When given a chance to respond, Piggott stated that though the cocaine was in her suitcase, she had no idea that it was there. She said that she came to Guyana to collect a large sum of money from a man who told her that he was going to pack the money into the suitcase for her but apparently packed drugs instead. According to Piggott, “After the man tell me dat, I tek it fuh duh an I collect de money, but when I was leaving, they check me and seh is cocaine. I could not say anything ’cause I did not know what it was.”

The defendant was moved to tears when the sentence was being handed down.  In addition to the four-year jail term, the magistrate ordered her to pay a fine of $2,044,800.