A 64-year-old man, who allegedly tried to ship onions stuffed with 26 pounds of ganja to Antigua, was offered $300,000 bail when he appeared in the Kingston and St Andrew Parish Court last Friday.
Pershard Smith was held on January 5 after he went to the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston to ship two cartons of onions.
He was subsequently charged with possession of ganja, dealing in ganja, taking steps to export ganja, and conspiracy.
Joama Myers, 43, who allegedly drove Smith to the airport, was also arrested and similarly charged.
When the matter was mentioned last Friday, both men claimed that they were unaware that the boxes contained ganja.
“I didn’t know that ganja was in the box, I was just asked to do the shipping,” Smith told Chief Parish Judge Judith Pusey, while explaining that the person who sent him to do the shipment was not well known to him.
“So you just get up and go ship a box for a man that you don’t know?” Pusey asked.
“I don’t know him personally, my nephew knows him,” Smith answered.
Myers, in his defence, told the court that he is a glass cutter and a part-time taxi driver and was only contacted to transport Smith to the airport.
However, during further questioning, he told the judge that he had previously been arrested and convicted for ganja. As a result, Myers was remanded while Smith was offered bail on the condition that he surrender his travel documents.
The matter will be again mentioned on February 13.