A pregnant 21-year-old woman was given six months' imprisonment in the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate's Court on Wednesday after she was charged for being in possession of eight pounds (3 kilograms) of ganja.

The accused Melandra Messam, who is six months pregnant, is charged with conspiracy, possession of, dealing in and taking steps to export ganja.

luggage was searched

The court heard that, on the day of the incident, Messam was on her way to Curaçao when she was stopped, her luggage searched and the eight pounds of ganja discovered. Despite the impassioned pleas of her attorney to have the accused be given a non-custodial sentence as she had been in jail since June, Senior Resident Magistrate Georgiana Fraser would have none of it. Instead, she told the attorney that his client would not be the first pregnant woman to go to prison and that she is not the first pregnant woman to have a baby in prison. She further told the attorney that it was his client's actions, among others, that made it difficult for other Jamaicans when they go abroad.

Subsequently, Messam was ordered to pay $12,800 or serve three months' imprisonment for the possession, $64,000 for the taking steps to export or serve six months' imprisonment, and for the conspiracy and dealing in, she was admonished and discharged. She was also given six months' imprisonment. If her fines are not paid, the sentences are to run concurrently to the six months.