A MAN WAS sentenced to 18 months imprisonment at hard labour and fined close to $1 million for attempting to export ganja, while a man he is accused of conspiring with, was remanded in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrates' Court recently.
Mickey Johnson, 34, painter of Burnshill Valley and Michael Byle, 33, construction worker of Burnside Hill, Red Hills, both in St. Andrew, are charged with possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, taking steps to export ganja and conspiracy to export ganja.
Allegations are that on July 10, at about 10:15 a.m., Johnson arrived at the Norman Manley Airport and was about to check in on a flight to Curacoa when he was stopped and his luggage searched. A brown carton box marked Huggies containing 24 tins said to contain ackee and juice was found containing a compressed vegetable, like substance resembling ganja.
Blame game
Johnson told the police the tins were given to him by Byle to give to a woman in Curacao. Byle was picked up by a police team in the Red Hills area and he told police that the tins were given to him by somebody.
Johnson pleaded guilty to the charges although his attorney told the court that his client had believed juice was in the tins. He was fined $15,000 for possession or six months; $480,000 or six months for dealing in, and fined $500,000 or six months for taking steps to export. He was sentenced to an additional 18 months imprisonment at hard labour, while no order was made in the conspiracy charge. An order was also made for the sentences to run concurrently, but consecutive to the 18 months.
Byle's attorney also made an application for bail for his client. However, this was denied by RM Gayle. Byles is to return to court on August 10.
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