Jamaican gets four years for cocaine pellets

Acting Chief Magistrate Melissa Robertson yesterday sentenced a Jamaican national who admitted swallowing over 100 pellets of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking to four years imprisonment.

Richard Rudolph Gayle of 114 Headley Park, Kingston pleaded guilty to the charge of possession of narcotics for the purpose of trafficking when it was read to him at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court.

On February 20 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), Timehri Gayle had in his possession 909 grams of cocaine. At about 4.10 am that day as he was in the process of boarding Caribbean Airlines flight 1416 airport officials observed Gayle behaving in a “suspicious manner”.

The man was taken in for questioning and later transported to the hospital for observations.

Reports are that some time later that day Gayle excreted over 100 pellets of cocaine which he had swallowed in an effort to take them to Jamaica via flight 1416.

Gayle was ordered by the court to serve a four-year sentence.