Vendor, hairdresser jailed for trafficking cocaine at airport

Jan 01, 2020 News

– Magistrate sends strong message so children won’t be tempted

Mother of five, Christy Griffith, of 38 Norton Street, Georgetown, yesterday showed no remorse after being found guilty of a narcotic charge by Principal Magistrate Faith McGusty.

Jailed: Shellon Barrow and Christy Griffith (right)

Griffith, 39, a hairdresser and her accomplice, Shellon Barrow, of 135 Victoria Street, Albouystown, were both found guilty of the offence and jailed.
Barrow, 39, a vendor and a mother of four, told the court while tears was streaming down her face that she was sorry for what she did and begged the Magistrate to show mercy and consider the fact that she has four minor children.
Barrow’s attorney entered a plea of mitigation on behalf of her client. The lawyer told the court that her client had no previous conviction, that the court should considered the time her client spent on remand and she added that since her client has been on remand, she learned catering skills and had no problem while she was locked-up at New Amsterdam Prison.
When the matter was called for ruling in the Georgetown Magistrates’ Courts, before handing down the sentencing, Principal Magistrate McGusty said that she found it hard to believe anything Barrow had said to the court, since the story Barrow told the police when she was arrested differs from her caution statement and the story she told in court.
“An innocent person has one story so it’s very hard to believe anything you said, and that shows that you had full knowledge, action and possession of the contents in the suitcase that was given to you… As such, I find you guilty of the offence,” Magistrate McGusty said.
The magistrate added that she had seen a video that the prosecutor marked and tendered as evidence of the two defendants at the Sunset Hotel and with Barrow at the airport. From looking at the videos, the two defendants appeared to be very willing participants, the magistrate said.
Griffith who was unrepresented, while smiling, she told the court that it should also consider her children and the fact that one of her daughters is getting married in January.
The Principal Magistrate stated that she will consider their children. “I’m setting an example so they would not be tempted to do what you did… For all I know if you were successful at what you were doing, you could have got them involved and tell them about the sweet, fast life.”
The magistrate told the defendants that they did not consider their children when they decided to traffic narcotics, and that she will also consider the sixteen months and one week, which they spent on remand.
Both defendants, Christy Griffith and Shellon Barrow were sentenced to spend a total of three years and nine months in prison, and fined $3.5 M.
Barrow was charged with trafficking 1.638 kilogrammes of cocaine on September 15, 2018, at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri, and Griffith was charged for providing the 1.638 kilograms of cocaine between September 14 and September 15 at Sunset Hotel, Kitty, to Barrow.
According to information received, Griffith carried the cocaine well concealed in a suitcase to Barrow who was staying at a hotel awaiting her flight to Jamaica.
At the airport, Barrow was intercepted with the said suitcase that Griffith dropped off at the airport. Barrow told the police that she received the suitcase from Griffith.

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