He thought he was visiting Arizona for a short vacation.
Nearly a year later, Jamaican national Damion Williams is speaking from jail after he says he was swept up in somebody else’s mess.
Williams says he had just flown into Sky Harbor to visit a friend in May 2016.
He was asleep at his friend’s south Phoenix home near Baseline and 51st Avenue when a SWAT team came for a raid.
“I am surprised, when I saw the police outside, I was so scared. I was wondering what is this all about,” said Williams.
Detectives were led to the home after they followed Curtis Lauderdale Jr. and Nickie Campbell from a nearby shipping store.
According to reports, the pair were seen driving to a United States Post Office location to ship a brown box.
Detectives believed their behavior was similar to known drug trafficking organizations, using the USPS to ship drugs to different parts of the country.
Investigators say Lauderdale Jr. and Campbell were working together as part of a drug syndicate.
They stopped the pair trying to allegedly ship 10 pounds of marijuana.
A search warrant and raid at the South Phoenix home uncovered 60 pounds of marijuana in a closet.
Williams was at home during the raid and arrested in the process.
“Trust me I feel like I’ve been kidnapped. I’m counting each day as it goes by. I’ve been here for 355 days,” said Williams from jail.
As the days tick by, his lawyer is fighting for his freedom while raising a big question.
“What are you expected to do when you go to somebody’s house, and I think that this case will help illuminate that,” said Attorney Anthony Ramirez from My AZ Lawyers.
Ramirez says if police can prove you have knowledge and control over something illegal in someone’s home, you can get locked up.
“His presence is all that there is. Mr. Williams did not have dominion and control over the house, or anything elicit,” added Ramirez.
For now, the Jamaican national is away from his family and waiting for his day in court.
Whelp this one is stick and peppery! Whether he knew the runnings or not *sigh* I wish him the very best of luck!
Let this be a warning to all a who a cotch n hitch up pon ppl couch n basements…this is a wake up call! !like seriously though. .how can you not know what a gwaan a the place u a stay night n day!!??
Is this yute really really innocent? ?maybe. ..idk.
Laaks, what a calamity if him story really true. Dats why I don’t like sleeping over in ppl’s house, not even fambly cause you have no clue how anybody truly living.
Him did well and know wha gwaan mnl
Oh wow dis sticky
A wheym a try seh???? him neva know wah gwan???? 60lbs a ganja tink up yuh whole house all when yah try mask di smell especially if a some loud. Mi naaa look!! Betta yuh seh yuh neva even stawt wurk yet and get ketch inna di shit… yuh naa fool mi.
I agree with you. He came there to start making some money, not no vacation. Where was he when the box was being packed to be shipped? He knows these guys did not have any 9-5 job.
The way I see it, he is lucky it was the police and not other Jamaicans who came to rip-off the stuff. Then he might not be alive to talk about it.
HE must have known that drugs in the house. He is a black man in Arizonia so its almost impossible for him to beat this case….sad
Im sorry, does everyone here know exactly whats going on at their friends house when you go over there. Maybe the weed was packaged well and the smell masked which is why they can easily ship it at USPS. Is it really thar hard to believe someone is innocent?
It’s not impossible they have to prove that he have knowledge of it being there and if the drugs was a certain distance from where he was and if the drugs was concile enough so that it couldn’t be smelled and his phone should help him as well if there wasn’t any communication about any drugs he should walk maybe he didn’t get any bail because he is flight risk
Anything can happen when you visit people house. My friend went to a lady house follow her friend, not knowing the woman a hustler. Bam man come fi rob the woman and in the process them rape me friend. That’s why people yard no see me
Maybe it’s a case of wrong place, wrong time? Bwoy it rough, don’t know who fi trust. If his story is true, I wish him the best of luck in court.
please lets not be quick to judge he could be naïve to certain this. fresh from Jamaica he might not have known and if that’s the case me feel sorry fi him. I personally know someone who came from Jamaica had no family here and stayed in a friends stash house because he had no where else to go luckily for him he got out before he got caught up.
Watch yo friends.watch yo friends dem.if he was innocent his friends would have vindicated him months ago , but 355 days later he still in jail.. dats f’ed-up…
And watching dem can be detrimental too!
The people dem could have been storing and packaging in their bedroom, and all him know they love being in their room or on the opposite side of the house alot.
Majority good host/hostesses provide a room to their visitors comfort, so he may have had limited movements within the house.
Me a side with him because me don’t go people house just because I can, for reasons such as this one.
Misery loves company, so the friends don’t have to verify nothing.