SPANISH TOWN, St Catherine - Twenty-two-year-old Careen Dixon was remanded in custody on Tuesday when she appeared before the Spanish Town RM Court to answer charges of possession of the illegal drug ecstasy.

Dixon, who hails from 6 Rodney Road, Kingston 13, was arrested last Friday after police allegedly found her with 73 ecstasy tablets during a raid in Caymanas Bay, St Catherine. The drug is said to have a street value of $109,500.

When she appeared in court on Tuesday, Senior St Catherine resident magistrate Lorna Errar Gayle ordered that Dixon be held until April 30 when the case will again be mentioned and that her fingerprints be taken.

According to the police, Dixon was charged under the Precursory Chemical Act of 1999 which stipulates that if convicted, she is liable to a maximum fine of $3 million or a sentence of three years' imprisonment or both fined and sentenced.

The police said the accused, when questioned, disclosed that she was selling the drug to exotic dancers and 'ladies of the night' who 'work' along Port Henderson Road in St Catherine.

Detective Constable Andrey Smith told the court that it was not the first time that the police had found the drug in St Catherine. He said the police believe there is a lucrative market for the drug and are determined to find its main marketer in the area.

Imported from the United States, ecstasy induces high energy and other pleasurable effects. But experts have warned that usage of the drug can lead to seizures, hypertension, cardiovascular failure, among other conditions.

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