Noting that Jody McDonald Watson had played an integral part in a large-scale drug smuggling operation, Justice Pamela Beckles yesterday sentenced him to nine years in prison for the failed landing four years ago.
“This sentence not only reflects the seriousness of the offence, but is a punishment to you and other like-minded persons that such offences will not be tolerated and will receive stiff penalties,” the judge said.
Watson, 33, of College Savannah, St John, was back in the No. 5 Supreme Court, via Zoom, after pleading guilty, at an earlier Session of the Continuous Sittings, to possession, trafficking and importing 445.1 kilogrammes or about 1 000 pounds of marijuana into the island on January 16, 2016.
“This was a premeditated act which required a certain level of knowledge because you knew the channels to get through Consett Bay,” Justice Beckles told Watson. (HLE)
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