WESTERN BUREAU:
A COMMUNICATION manager of Cable and Wireless (C&W) Jamaica appeared in the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court yesterday on charges of breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act. He pleaded not guilty to charges of possession, dealing and attempting to export an illegal substance.
Lenford Myers was arrested at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay last Friday where he was attempting to board an Air Jamaica flight to Fort Lauderdale.
According to the police, sniffer dogs alerted members of the Police Canine Unit to two suitcases in his possession. It was reported that substance resembling cocaine weighing about two-and-a-half pounds was found in the handles of the suitcases.
Attorney Ernie Smith, who represented Myers, told the court that what is in dispute is not the physical possession of the drug, but whether the accused had knowledge of the presence of the drug in the handles of the suitcases. "The suitcases did not belong to him," he said. "He was bringing them to a relative abroad. As a matter of fact, he was going abroad on company business." The lawyer added that the accused had no knowledge the suitcases were tampered with.
Resident Magistrate Miss Paulette Williams told the 45-year-old man that since he pleaded not guilty to the charges, the substance would be sent to the lab to determine whether or not it was cocaine. She also told him that the case would be heard again on December 14 when application for bail will be considered. In the meantime he was remanded in custody.
