A 38-year-old taxi driver was jailed and fined when he appeared at the
Convicted: Julius Watkins
Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts charged with trafficking in narcotics.
Julius Watkins was jailed for four years and fined $2.5 million on Tuesday when he admitted to Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan, between September 12 and 15, he swallowed 114 pellets, which were laced with a total of 960 grams of cocaine.
The father of four was nabbed as he attempted to board an outgoing flight to Canada after Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) ranks noticed him acting in a suspicious manner.
As such, Watkins questioned, and immediately taken to CANU Headquarters where he confessed to the offence. The taxi driver was then taken to a city hospital where he excreted the illicit substance.
At his arraignment, Watkins appealed for leniency, telling the Chief Magistrate that he was facing a financial crisis and was unable to send his children to school. This was the explanation he used to justify his selected means to earn some extra income. Chief Magistrate McLennan before handing down the four-year sentence took into consideration that Watkins did not waste the court’s time. He was whisked away into Police custody before being transported to jail where he would commence fulfilling his debt to society.
