US prosecutors allege…J’can beauty queen had drug links drug links
United States prosecutors have linked Marsha Gay Reynolds, the Jamaica-born Jet Blue Airways flight attendant on narcotics charges, to people whose money is thought to be proceeds of drug trafficking.
In addition, her co-conspirator in the massive drug bust in which she was held holds a fake passport, court documents obtained by THE WEEKEND STAR have revealed.
Reynolds, runner-up for Miss Jamaica World pageant in 2008, was arrested after she attempted to smuggle nearly 70 pounds of cocaine – worth an estimated US$3 million (J$367m) – through Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) on March 18.
The US government said it has provided Reynolds’ lawyers with the names of three persons on her “companion list at Jet Blue who have criminal histories with at least one drug offence”.
Jet Blue yesterday said that companions for airline employees are those who can travel for free or at substantially reduced fares on a stand-by basis. They are either an immediate crew member or someone listed on their buddy pass who gets travel privileges based on the availability of seats.
ongoing investigation
The court documents also said two others who are part of Reynolds’ companion list were intercepted at the airport carrying thousands of dollars in cash, one with more than US$100,000 (J$12.26m).
According to the US government, drug-sniffing dogs alerted law enforcement officials to the money, which was seized as suspected drug proceeds and later forfeited by the government in part or in whole. US prosecutors have refused to divulge those reports saying to do so could prejudice the ongoing investigation.
Reynolds, whose father the court documents said is a former member of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, has been jailed in US since her arrest.
In the court documents, one of Reynolds’ friends, who is now a key prosecution witness, said she was asked to help to carry the bags with the drugs through security, using her access badge, in order to avoid baggage fees.
Reynolds had hurriedly arranged a meeting with her friend, a US homeland security and custom officer, three days after she reportedly ran from the airport leaving the drug behind. The friend then provided the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the DEA of details of his meeting with Reynolds, which took place at a restaurant.
According to the informant in whom she confided, Reynolds told him to make sure that Kevin, one of the two men she was assisting to smuggle the suitcases, does not leave the US. Kevin is reportedly the man who told Reynolds to run after she was pulled from the line for further screening.
multiple properties
The informant believed that Kevin’s nickname was ‘Knock Knees’, a man he believes owned multiple properties and utilised multiple identities. He said he recalled Reynolds stating that Kevin told her not to cooperate with authorities and to go to Jamaica after the incident to avoid law enforcement authorities.
Court documents supplied by the United States Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, Los Angeles, indicate that the witness who has been assisting the government, said Reynolds’ boyfriend is believed to have come from a wealthy family and was a restaurant owner and engineer in Jamaica.
The cooperating witness, to whom Reynolds turned for help after she ditched her Gucci shoes at the airport and ran, has been giving investigators details of a meeting between them. He even gave permission to the government to record telephone conversations between himself and Reynolds. Those conversations will be played in court.
Reynolds is being held in custody without bond. She is scheduled to be arraigned on the indictment today in United States District Court in Los Angeles. At the arraignment, she will be asked to enter a plea. If she pleads not guilty, a trial date will be set.
If she is convicted of the narcotics trafficking offence, Reynolds would face a statutory maximum penalty of life in federal prison and a mandatory minimum sentence of 10 years
Oh Shit! Marsha, sorry to say, but only God can help you now. U need to pray my dear, and hard too.
In the court documents, one of Reynolds’ friends, who is now a key prosecution witness, said she was asked to help to carry the bags with the drugs through security, using her access badge, in order to avoid baggage fees.
Marsha was willing to have her friend innocently checked in one of the bags, without the friend knowing what was in the bag. This is why it is so easy to get caught up in major narcotics trafficking just to help a friend avoid baggage fees (when baggage fees wasn’t the true motive). This girl is really cold.
Look like there is a HE and a SHE involved as informants (maybe to save their own skin?).
Oh man as the saga unfolds. Wasn’t the father the same one defending her? But then them nuh say her parents are devoted church members? no man this is serious.
Lawd Marsha anything 2 know anuh secret y u Neva just hold the greyhound n keep yuh peace. Nuh trust nuh shadow baby, only God n him host can save u mama
Me nuh trus me nuh trus ppl me watch u frens weh u keep seeit deh
Wah di daddy duh now fi inna jail?
You are reading the statement incorrectly. It is Reynolds who is…”has been jailed in US since her arrest”…not the Dady.
Obstructing, knowly give false statements and accessory 😀
Mi ah tell unu, the MARSHA name nuh guh too well with drug coke pusher. Flippa Marsha now Marsha GAYLE wah di bumboo. Dat name dem crass…
Also Marsha Paragonsingh
Dem guh give her Flippa deal 30yrs. Wat w way.
CEEEEEEEERUSSSSSSSSSSSSS SOMETHING FOR THOSE THAT DON’T KNOW…….Buddy pass need fi stap raffle out!!
No no nuh seh suh a di buddy pasd mi use
Hmmmm…I think PR is talking about a different buddy. Don’t get them confused :nohope
This girl sink harder than the titanic, It is OVA. What a life? Good luck to all who is involved. ‘Now let me get back to My 9-5’
The daddy was never in jail…read again n follow on,it said Reynolds i.e Marsha then comma n cont..so the subject of the sentence is still Reynolds not her dad.indeed It is a poorly written sentence.
Anywayzee I get no joy from being proven right cuz all along I knew Marsha guilty as sin n should’ve copped a plea!!her fren dem sold her up shyt creek river without a paddle,can see her getting less than 12yrs.
Ok thanks Mi need Mi glasses Mi caan si properly.
Well, your username very fitting den. Maybe you need an eyeball stretcha like how dem hab buddy stretcha :ngakak
Sorry but nuff seizures guh happen on real properties, assets here and jamaica. I guess hard wuk neva pay off. Wait till all the pointing fingers and DEA guh tek ever last assets dat was attained due to drug proceeds. Mi tell unu, dem life nuh worthwhile.
A wonder if Marsha a di king pin cos if Kevin a nuh har man and shi a carry $3mil worth a coke fi him shi a nuh just mule. Plus shi seem connected.
But how shi guh trust man Ina homeland security? Shi really think a everybody nuh have nuttin fi live fah like har?
The man nah be no accomplice, bout nuh Mek Kevin lef! Kevin never tell yuh fi run. Yuh did deh Cali already, yuh shoulda just cross the border.
Mi did sorry fi har at first but a wicked gal. How shi a guh ask friend fi unsuspectingly carry drugs?
How shi a guh ask friend fi unsuspectingly carry drugs?
We have to learn from other people mistakes. Be very careful who you pick up at the airport, especially friends/family coming from Jamaica. They will bring you, the innocent party, down with them or say they are bringing the stuff for you. I have seen it happen a number of times, when they are caught and let through to get the bigger fish.
The Homeland security guy may be covering his ass and might be involved with them and decide to throw Marsha under the bus to protect himself…you never know. She wouldn’t confide in just any and any friend. Think about it some more. He probably went to the FBI because he realize that they might have her phone tapped, so he was just cover his base.
she only sought the friend’s help in assisting to stop “Kevin”leaving the US. However by doing so, she inadvertently revealed to the feds that she was in on the plan all along. Her friend had no choice but to turn her in, as any subsequent investigation would have revealed their contacts and he would be an accessory after the fact, bearing in mind the type of job this friend does, he had too much to lose by not shopping her and her cohorts. She plans to talk, that is why she didn’t skip town. Waiting for the next episode in this saga…
Wonda if a di 90s man name Kevin Lawd Marsha all this u put in n u nuh Deh a road fi suck a sweetie outta yuh hard labor fi a pull suitcase. Smh u shudda just easy n back out
You are assuming that she hasn’t done this type of thing million time before, which I think she has.
Eh eh. Mi sorry fi har, from dem get di wiretap and her buddy list shi fawt. Fake passport alone carry big sentence. Her goose cooked up down, inside and out. Basically, she is fckd!
thought it was the big eye greedy one when i first read the name kevin ….cause a dem can use the jet blue clown dem fi carry money and goods coast to coast………..all that big lip hype clown one …..jet blue a drug dealer bird of choice ……
This lady will not be getting the minimum, more like the maximum sentence. What a silly woman. I knew there was more to it when I heard the sheer amount that she was caught with.
All dis ooman had do do was build a successful blog, even focusing it on travel and being a flight attendant, her rass could have been rolling in di dough sed way. But no, is dirty drugs she decide fi focus on. Some of dem doan know what fi do wid demself in life. Tiyad a dem a carry down di good name of Jamaicans. Dis bitch wasn’t poor or under no sufferation, so wtf is her excuse for stooping so damn low as to be a drug mule?
Big time drug smuggler a use budddy pass? a try avoid baggage fee when dem money suppose to tall up? when you a shift dem breed a drugs and money dey u nuffi cut cawna
just like how they would buy gift cards so to not pay full prize and you still have to run dem down for ur money ….cheap clown dem
You are right about not cutting corners, but if you have ever dealt with a drug dealer, they will kill you for $10 or if you do any work for them they don’t like to pay you and want to bad you up. They will think nothing about walking into a car dealership and buy a $100K car for sticker price just to show off that they have money. Cutting corners is normally their downfall.
real talk ……cheap like hell but will drive them fresh car of the lot to tell you that “things slow but them nuh forget you. you are a good youth”.
I think we read it wrong enuh…is the co conspirator have the fake passport
Marsha I feel for you .. it wasn’t worth it .. I think u gonna get life if u don’t sing like canary .. Be wise girl
Mi use to work fi airline and Mi a tell yuh she get weh wid dat Nuff time just by how di system set up is like a bank robbery but you know the teller is in on it…. gal would a bring dat fi di rest har life if dis never happen
Look ere ah neva pay for baggage check in. It was a carry on as usual. Memba the feds tek $100 gran before on carry on suh nuh mek the tsa fren aka employee switch and confuse unu. The tsa know bout the trafficking also. Suh a bare plea deal gwaan among dem dealers. Y unu tink tsa fren ah talk cyaa all him name and suspicion ah call up. Surveillance and all. Fren tsa ah talk and cooperate cyaa him draw inna the trafficing also. The ole ah dem in it otay…,suh tsa nuh mek it lok like u know but u too much involved inna the fren bizness and talking. Ur statements is a plea deal or wat?
Is it a tsa employee or homeland security (customs) employee? Must a customs (immigration) cuz she ask him fi stop Kevin from leaving d country
Good morning Met can you put this back on the front page please? Thanks much
Who is Kevin? Yes Met this story needs to be on the front page.
Can we see who Kevin is?