Wednesday, September 23, 2009
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Men sentenced to 40 months for drug smuggling By ARTESIA DAVIS ~ Guardian Senior Reporter ~ artesia@nasguard.com: Two men who were reportedly enticed to become drug runners after they had fallen on hard times have been sentenced to 40 months in prison. Kenworth Smith, 32, of Behring Point, Andros, and Jamaican Clayton Rose, yesterday admitted to participating in the scheme to smuggle 945 pounds of marijuana from Jamaica to The Bahamas. Members of the Drug Enforcement Unit intercepted the drug shipment, which has a wholesale street value of $945,000, on April 12, 2009 in Barretarre, Exuma. In his statement to police, Smith said he left Nassau for Jamaica by boat with some other men to collect the drugs. He said they met a boat off the Jamaican coast and the drugs were loaded onto their boat. Smith also said the drugs were temporarily stored on a cay in the Ragged Island chain as they waited for another boat to use on the next leg of their voyage. Smith said he was to be paid $5,000 for his part as a "deck hand." According to his lawyer Michael Kemp, Smith was financially hard-pressed because of the difficult economy and the illness of his common-law wife. Rose was also characterized as a deck hand by his lawyer Murrio Ducille. He said that Rose had fallen in love with a woman whom he was putting through college. Ducille claimed this woman dumped Rose after he fell on hard times. He said that Rose was further financially ruined when he had to have heart surgery. Rose, who reportedly helped load the Bahamian boat off the Jamaican coast, accompanied the drug load to Ragged Island and then on to Exuma. However, he was not on the drug-laden boat when police stopped it. Deputy Chief Magistrate Carolita Bethell took into account that neither man held a leadership role in the smuggling scheme. Both men have remained in custody since their arrests. Magistrate Bethell ordered Smith's sentence to take effect from April 12. Rose's sentence takes effect from May 19. Their three codefendants, George Newell, Valentino Smith and Omar Chisholm, are scheduled to go to trial on October 27.
Thursday, September 17, 2009 |
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