Two Surinamese women who reportedly flew to Jamaica for the Reggae Sumfest festival in Montego Bay, St James, and were caught trying to return home with 250 US$100 notes in their crotch were remanded last when they appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court.
Hairdressers, 31-year-old Ingrid Asaite and 30-year-old Claudia Clydesdale were held at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on July 22, about 2:30 pm, police said.
Asaite was also reportedly found with $250 in Surinamese currency, €100 and US$14,750 in her bag and purse, while Clydesdale was also reportedly found with a further US$16,200 in her shorts and bag.
A male Surinamese national, Dellroy Sanduliet, was also held along with the women and was reportedly found with US$12,700 and 50€ in his wallet and bag,
The three were about to board a flight to Guyana when they were accosted.
They were subsequently charged with c possession of criminal property, concealment of criminal property, attempting to remove criminal property, and facilitating the retention of criminal property.
On Friday when the trio was brought before Senior Parish Judge Vaughn Smith, their attorney, Christopher Townsend, told the judge that the charges against his clients could not be substantiated.
“None of the offences can be substantiated as they are. One ingredient is needed and it is not there,” the lawyer said. “Mere possession of money irrespective of where it is found is not an offence.”
Furthermore, Townsend argued: “When you are entering Jamaica you have an obligation to declare, not when you are leaving.”
The prosecution, in the meantime, told the judge that the file was incomplete and that the Crown was awaiting a report from the Communications, Forensics Cybercrimes Unit as the accused phones were seized by police for analysis.
A mention date was then scheduled for August 8 and the accused were remanded.
Frustrated teenager admits to beating woman with piece of wood
A teenager who used a piece of plank to beat her boyfriend’s aunt claimed she did it because the woman was constantly annoying and bothering her.
Markaylah Hunter, an 18-year-old bartender of Henley Road in Kingston, was arrested and charged with assault occasioning bodily harm after she attacked the 52-year-old complainant on May 9.
The complainant was hit on her head, left arm and other parts of her body.
On Friday when the case was mentioned, Hunter admitted to beating the complainant, who came to court with one of her arms in a sling.
“She always a annoy and a bada mi,” Hunter told Senior Parish Judge Vaughn Smith.
“Mi deh wid har nephew and she don’t want mi inna her yard. If me cook she send somebody to thief it out, and when me wash she throw off mi clothes off the line. She always a do something; mi affi wonder if she a de adult,” she added.
However, on the day of the incident, Hunter said that they were both walking in a lane in the community when the complainant bumped her.
“Mi tell har fi say sorry and she hiss har teeth and walk off. So one board did deh right deh suh, so mi jus tek it up and start beat her wid it,” Hunter further told the court.
The judge, after listening to her explanation, said: “You know what you are saying to me.”
The judge then asked the complainant if she was seeking compensation for her medical bill, and she indicated that she was and that she also had some tests to do. However, she was unable to say how much she had spent so far, noting that she had the receipts at home.
The judge told her to return to court on September 18, and inform the court how much she had spent.
Hunter’s bail was also extended for her to return on the same date.
Thief found hiding in house after break-in
There was laughter in the court after it was reported that a young man who had broken into a house with another man was found hiding in the house after the other man took the items and left him there.
Dorcell Sewell, who had been trapped inside the house for hours after the police arrived, was found hiding in the storage room under a table.
The court heard that on July 7 the complainant locked up his house and went to rural Jamaica with his family, but while there he got a call that the police and fire personnel were at his house.
On arrival, the complainant found that his house had been broken into and that about $500,000 worth of items, including an assortment of colognes, gold chains and pendants, were missing.
Sewell, when cautioned, reportedly told police: “A mi and a brother do it from Cassava Piece, and him gone wid the things dem.”
On Thursday when the matter was mentioned, the complainant also reported that the men had stolen his wife’s passport and that they had destroyed his flat-screen TV.
He said that the thieves had damaged the television in the process of trying to remove it from a wall where it was hanging.
But the complaint said they “didn’t thief the TV because the police came in time. The police came in time so he could get out, so he was there from 1:00 pm to 8:00 pm in the house”.
Sewell, who appeared embarrassed and upset, however, pleaded guilty to housebreaking and larceny and was remanded for sentencing on October 8.
In the meantime, the court heard that the police were looking for the other man who was reportedly involved.
Mother remanded for evaluation after stabbing six-year-old daughter
A woman who nonchalantly told the court that she stabbed her six-year-old daughter for spilling soap powder was remanded for psychiatric evaluation.
Nesa Taylor was recently arrested and charged with unlawful wounding after she used a knife to stab her daughter.
On Friday when she appeared in court the senior parish judge asked her: “Why you do that ma’am?”
Taylor, who appeared to show no remorse and who had earlier told the prosecutor that it was a knife that she had used, said: “I send her for the soap powder and she throw it weh on the bed and I stab her.”
The judge, after hearing her explanation, immediately told her that he was going to remand her for an assessment to which she replied: “Yes, Sir.”
Taylor is scheduled to return to court on September 8.
So a sell dem come sell? But why dem have to stuff dem crotch, couldn’t they just stuff their bras or wear a spanx and stuff it. I think the fact that they chose the stuff their crotch is what is making them appear criminal. Nuff ppl travel with more than the allotted 10k undeclared everyday and get away with it.
Sell and collect that much in U.s. dollars (where the currancy isn’t of the nation) in less than a week?
They are cash couriers.
Well, excuse my gullibility. I knew nothing about cash couriers so thanks for the additional info.
Whats with these Surinamese being caught with thousands of US$. What’s behind it?
Their primary purpose is the repatriation of drug money. Somehow the cocaine comes into Jamaica and the money for the drugs are collected by these bulk cash smugglers back to Suriname. Wasn’t Dr. Ford intervene on behalf of some Surinamese who were caught with over US$600K of cash and Dr. Ford try to bride the police to return the money and was charged for the offence.
They only use Sumfest as a cover for being in the Island. They came for the drug money, period.
Mental illness is at crisis proportions here in Jamaica, impacting about 45% of the population. Hopefully she gets the help so she can bond with her 6yo daughter after she’s locked away for at least 14yrs.Stabbing your child is straight up insanity!