MONTEGO BAY, St James — A Bahamian woman and her Jamaican boyfriend were both offered bail when they were brought to the Montego Bay Resident Magistrates Court on cocaine smuggling charges recently.

Twenty-eight year-old Tanasia Johnson and her 40 year-old boyfriend Robert Campbell of a St Mary address were offered bail in the sum of $500,000 each with up to three sureties. As a condition of their bail they were ordered to surrender their passports and will report to the police two days a week.

Johnson is facing charges of possession of cocaine, dealing in cocaine and taking steps to export cocaine while Campbell has an additional charge, that of conspiracy to export cocaine.

The allegations are that Johnson, a mother of two children who came to the island for the funeral of a relative was returning home on October 31 when 3lbs of cocaine in four packages were found hidden in one of her bags.

When she was taken into custody, the court heard she denied knowledge of the drug telling the police she had never seen cocaine in her life and that Campbell gave her the bag.

Campbell was later picked up at his home in Albion Mountain and charged.

Defence attorney Delford Morgan who is representing Johnson told the court Campbell had visited his client during a Nine Night in Westmoreland and then coerced her to return to St Mary with him.

While in St Mary he was packing his bags to return to the Bahamas where he operates a mechanic shop and asked her to take back one bag for him as he had more than the allowable limit and she had just one bag.

The court heard he also told her he would not be able to leave as he had left his work permit in the Bahamas and gave her instructions and a name to call to take it to her to send back for him.

Campbell is being represented by Martyn Thomas.

Both accused will return to court on February 3 next year when the case will be mentioned.