Hairdresser jailed for cocaine trafficking

Karen Petuela Stuffle, a hairdresser of East Ruimveldt, Georgetown, was on Thursday arraigned before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on a charge of trafficking 1.42 kilograms of cocaine, which she had stashed in her vagina and stomach.
At time of her apprehension, on Sunday at the CJIA, the hairdresser was scheduled to board a flight bound for New York. A search conducted by CANU ranks on her person resulted in the narcotics being unearthed.
The woman was further questioned, and admitted to swallowing 100 pellets, which she subsequently excreted at a city hospital.
The charge Stuffle faced detailed that while being an outgoing passenger at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) on September 9, 2018, she attempted to smuggle the cocaine out of the country in form of 100 pellets which she had stashed on her person.
The 48-year-old defendant admitted to the charge, and told the court she had been paid US$400 and had her airfare paid in full in order to traffic the narcotics.
She told the Chief Magistrate she does not want to waste the court’s time, and apologised for her action while stating, “I would never do this again!”
Stuffle has been sentenced to four years’ imprisonment, and fined $2.3 million for the offence.
Based on reports, several other persons linked to the bust have been arrested, and are currently in Police custody assisting with investigations.