A man who attempted to export more than a pound of cocaine to England was sentenced to 18 months in prison when he appeared in the St Andrew Resident Magistrate's Court Wednesday.

The man, Trevorlee Williams, 40, was nabbed after the contraband was found strapped to his body as he prepared to board a flight to London at the Norman Manley International airport last month.

Despite a long plea for bail by his lawyer, Melrose Reid, a stern Resident Magistrate Glen Brown denied her request and ordered that Williams be remanded in custody.

"Your honour, Unlike most people who would be caught and still plead not guilty, my client is standing before you saying that he is guilty and that he is willing to come clean. He chose not to come here and waste the time of the court," Reid said.

She said that her client had simply fallen on hard times and resorted to a breach of the law in order to provide for his three children.

"Your honour, in reaching your judgment I just want you to consider the circumstances surrounding this case. This man is an honest man who recently got a loan to buy a minibus but because of financial challenges he is unable to license or insure it to provide for his family who rely on him," said Reid.
According to her, Williams was informed about the opportunity to export the drugs by a cousin who referred him to a man known only as 'George' who resides in England.

She said that George made arrangements with another man in Jamaica who provided Williams with his ticket and also strapped the belt containing the drug to his body.
She said that her client had no contact information for either persons and said efforts to reach the man in Jamaica on the phone were futile.

Her explanation however, did not hold any water where Brown was concerned. He said that a man, especially at Williams' age, should have known better.

"Matters like these are not simple but very easy to handle. I have a strong view when it comes to drugs and an even stronger view when it comes to cocaine. When someone transports cocaine it is for their own benefit at the expense of someone else's child," Brown said.

"Mr Williams is a big man and when a big man chooses to close his eyes and decides to take a chance for his own selfish gain, the Magistrate must be consistent. You cannot sentence a man for a pound of ganja but let off a man for cocaine that would not be consistent and the public recognises this," said Brown.

He then ordered that Williams, who seemed happy with his sentence, be escorted back to the holding area.

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