Two mothers will once more be breaking the New Year behind bars after each was sentenced to three years and nine months in prison for their respective parts in a plot to smuggle cocaine out of the country.
Vendor Shellon Yolanda Barrow, 35, of 135 Victoria Street, Albouystown, was charged with trafficking 1.638 kilogrammes (equivalent to 3.6 pounds) of cocaine on September 15th, 2018 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, while hairdresser Christine Griffith, 37 of Lot 38 Norton Street, Georgetown, was charged with aiding Barrow to traffic the cocaine between September 14th and September 15th, 2018, at Sunset Hotel, Kitty.
Each woman denied her respective charge.
The pair, who had been on remand for the previous 15 months, were sentenced by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty yesterday after she found them both guilty at the conclusion of their trial. The magistrate stated that Barrow had knowledge of the contents of the suitcase she had been in possession of during the bust and further noted that none of her statements to the court, the police or even to the Customs Anti-Narcotic Unit (CANU) officers had coincided with each other. “Most people who are innocent generally have one story,” the magistrate pointed out.
Barrow’s attorney, Tiffany Jeffrey, asked that before sentencing, the magistrate take into consideration that her client is the single mother of four minors who are currently staying with their grandmother and uncle. She also related that their mother had been the sole breadwinner for the children. The attorney also mentioned that Barrow had been on remand since being arrested in 2018. Barrow also apologised to the court.
Griffith, who was unrepresented, also asked that the magistrate considers her time spent on remand and the fact that she has five children, one of whom is due to give birth in the new year.
CANU prosecutor Konyo Sandiford, however, objected to the appeals for leniency. She asked that the magistrate make a decision based on the legislation and then reminded the court that these women would not have been thinking about their children when they made the decision to traffic cocaine.
Ruling in favour of the prosecutor, the magistrate told the women that she would be taking children into consideration and would be ensuring that their young minds cannot be influenced by their mothers. She then sentenced each woman to three years and nine months, along with a fine of $3.4 million.
