Jamaican court slaps hefty fine on Guyanese drug mule

KINGSTON, Jamaica — A Guyanese drug mule was hit with a J$800,000 fine or 18 months in a local prison after he was caught trafficking cocaine into Jamaica.

Jonathan Fontanelle, whose attorney described him as a “simpleton”, was slapped with the hefty fine by Senior Corporate Area Magistrate Judith Pusey on Friday (March 21).

Fontanelle, the court was informed, passed out 93 pellets of cocaine at the Kingston Public Hospital weighing a total of two pounds and three ounces, after being held at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston on March 4.

He pleaded guilty on Friday and was fined $200,000 or six months on a charge of possession of cocaine, $250,000 or six months for dealing in cocaine and $350,000 or six months for importing the illegal substance.

Prior to sentencing Fontanelle’s attorney said that his client didn’t understand what he was getting into.

But Pusey wasn’t buying it. “You have some people who never see a stop light before, apart from when they going to the airport take up themselves and reach a England a export drugs. I consider them brave, not a simpleton,” Pusey said.

“Him know it’s not ‘Phensic’. He wasn’t stupid to what he was doing,” Pusey added.

Racquel Porter