A school teacher, who three years ago was arrested and charged for possession of cocaine with intent to supply to another and with the attempt to export cocaine from the Commonwealth of Dominica, was found not guilty by a Portsmouth Magistrate last week.
Lynolah Aga Luwana Charles, of Stock Farm, was arrested on May 15, 2015, after customs at the Douglas Charles Airport scanned a blender that she had shipped via DHL to St. Kitts and found it to contain five packets of cocaine.
The 572 grams of the illegal drug had an estimated street value of EC$15,444.00.
Charles pleaded not guilty to the charges and maintained her innocence throughout her trial.
She said that she was called by a friend in St. Kitts who asked her to collect a blender from someone in Dominica and send it to her via DHL in St. Kitts.
The blender was found to be without a motor and Charles said she never knew of that fact.
The prosecution called eight witnesses to testify on its behalf. At the center of the matter was the legal issue of knowledge.
Defense counsel Wayne Norde raised that issue and contended that his client had no knowledge of the contents in the blender and honestly believed that she was doing her friend a good deed and shipping her, via DHL, a genuine blender as requested for “Mother’s Day.”
He asked the prosecution to “prove its case” that his client had knowledge of the contents of the blender.
After hearing all side of the case, Magistrate Ally Gill stated that based on the facts presented, the prosecution had “failed to satisfy the court beyond reasonable doubt that Charles had knowledge of the contents in the blender.”
The Court, he said, frowns on the use and or importation or exportation of drugs but has to deal with the facts before it and based on what is now before the court, “the prosecution did not satisfy the court beyond reasonable doubt and so the court finds Charles not guilty on all the charges.”
You have to be so careful when collecting packages like that. I have seen persons jailed for collecting packages from Unknown senders.
Again with the court system is not what you think but its what you can prove. The prosecution has to prove its case beyond every reasonable doubt. Anything short of this goes to the defendant. whether she knew or not but the court cannot prove it, that’s what it is.
homey homeboy. When the shoe is on the other foot you can only see things in one direction or view.
This is why anything I am asked to ship or carry while I travel, I ensure it is brought opened, I examine the package in front of the person. Sad but you cannot trust anyone when your life is put at risk for just doing a favor.
Yup I do the same thing. It could all nice wrapped, unwrap it and wrap it back. I’m not losing my freedom and my good name for anyone. If you get mad, you can take it back, no skin off my nose if you decide to send your item.
thank god you are exonerated.
Thank you..I appreciate the support
Wayne good job bro.. You will get paid..?
Ok Great. Happy for the Teacher. But Now that it is proven the teacher is innocent a curious question has arisen. At the time when the teacher was charged and she pleaded not guilty by virtue of that explanation, were the authorities (police) able to ascertain who that person who gave the blender is? Surely, I would think that the teacher knew from whom they received the blender, or at least ought to have known enough to trust to take something from him/her to ship. So, at the time, were charges preferred on the individual who gave the blender, for possession, possession with intent to supply, supplying, and facilitating export of cocaine to a known recipient? Did the Police investigate and collaborate with St. Kitts to determine who the would-be recipient is? Surely the teacher knows his/her friend in St. Kitts who had requested the favor in the first place.
I believe, or I anticipate that the police have indeed covered all those bases already. Or have they? It is not clear
I was wondering exactly the same thing.
The person who gave her the blender should be arrested AND we should provide information to the SKB authorities to arrest the receiving party as well.
Skerrit’s apologist,
I believe, or I anticipate that the police have indeed covered all those bases already. Or have they? It is not clear cadette sergent, I was with you up to this point. Re-rad ur opening line the the or have they? smh.
Funny with all ur commnets in the pass you never looked at things this way when defending ur home( SH)
homey.BIAS sucker U.
Ok Pas Toutes, I’ll have some of whatever you’re smoking in dat pipe, cause I feel like talking some zehzeh also…lol
Our officers too dumb. They were supposed to let the package go and alert the officers in St. Kitts to pick up the recipient. You already know one piece of the puzzle, you need to find the rest. Now you allow the real drug trafficker to escape by not allowing the transaction to continue. Good job!! Now you have nothing!
Did the defendant see it fit to disclose to the court who gave her the blender to ship to her friend? I know it is not for her to prove her case, but in the public interest it would have been the right thing to do