MONTEGO BAY, St James — A Dutchman, who has a history of making bad decisions, has been sentenced to nine months in prison for attempting to smuggle millions of dollars of cocaine out of the Sangster International Airport.

He is Patrick Anthony Crawford, a 44-year-old carpenter/construction worker of Rotterdam, Holland. During his sentencing in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday, presiding judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton noted the increasing frequency of foreign nationals before the court on drug charges and the importance of sending a strong signal to deter similar offences.

The judge’s comments came after defence attorney Henry McCurdy’s appeal for leniency. He pointed out that his client, who has been in custody since May, has struggled to support himself since the age of 12 with little success to show for his efforts.

The attorney urged the judge to consider compassion and mercy in the sentencing process, suggesting that instead of incarceration, a monetary penalty be imposed and Crawford be allowed to return to Holland.

According to McCurdy, his client had asked him to express his apologies to the court and the people of Jamaica for his actions, which were not intentional but rather the result of the circumstances in which he found himself.

In response, Fairclough-Hylton referenced the social enquiry report which she said offered diverse perspectives. She also noted that letters from various sources revealed Crawford’s long history of poor decision-making.

The judge further stated that considering the quantity of drugs involved and the increasing prevalence of this offence, she is of the opinion that a non-custodial sentence may not serve as a sufficient deterrent to prevent others from engaging in similar behaviour.

“If I impose a sentence of $500,000, how does it deter other persons from coming to Jamaica and committing these offences? I have to impose a fine or appropriate sentence that deters others, so that they don’t see Jamaica as a haven where they can come and export cocaine and make big bucks off it,” Fairclough-Hylton explained.

She continued: “The fines that I can impose are a joke when compared to the street value of the drug. Almost every week I have someone coming before me trying to depart from the airport with cocaine.”

Fairclough-Hylton then sentenced Crawford to nine months in prison on each of the charges of cocaine possession, dealing, and attempting to export. The sentences are to run concurrently.

No evidence was offered on the conspiracy charge.

According to the facts presented to the court, about 5:00 pm on May 9, Crawford was in a queue waiting to be checked in on a TUI flight destined for Brussels, Belgium, when he was questioned and his luggage inspected.

During the search of his carry-on luggage, four rectangular packages were discovered in two hidden compartments made of carbon paper and transparent plastic. These packages contained a white powdery substance believed to be cocaine.

A subsequent search of Crawford’s checked baggage also revealed two hidden compartments containing four packages similar in appearance and content to those found in his carry-on luggage. The total weight of the illicit substance found in both pieces of luggage is estimated to be around 13.5 pounds. At the time it was given an estimated value of $28 million.

Crawford was arrested and charged.