A 70-year-old Vincentian musician who has resided in the Netherlands for a number of years has been handed total fines of EC$770 after being caught with nearly 2 kilograms of cannabis at St. Vincent’s Argyle International Airport, as he waited to board an international flight bound for the United Kingdom.
The man, Kelroy Edwards, a native of the coastal town of Barrouallie in St. Vincent, pleaded guilty this week at the territory’s Serious Offences Court to three related charges. The charges stem from an April 26 incident where airport law enforcement found the 1,986 grams (4.4 pounds) of cannabis in his checked luggage ahead of his Virgin Atlantic flight to the UK. Edwards admitted that a friend gave him the cannabis, and claimed he mistakenly believed transporting the drug was legal, as he was set to deliver it to contacts waiting for him in Amsterdam.
Prosecutor Renrick Cato, an Inspector with the local police, laid out the full facts of the case for the court: the cannabis was discovered in six individually plastic-wrapped and taped packages hidden inside a black duffel bag that Edwards had checked in for his outbound flight. When questioned by on-duty police officer PC1021 Thomas after the seizure, Edwards repeated his claim that he did not know crossing international borders with the drug was against St. Vincent’s law. Edwards told investigators he believed carrying cannabis was permitted because the substance is allowed for personal and medicinal use in Amsterdam, where he currently lives.
In mitigation arguments to the court, Edwards’ defense attorney Grant Connell noted that his client had expressed clear remorse for his mistake, fully cooperated with police investigators throughout the process, and had no prior criminal convictions on his record.
Chief Magistrate Colin John handed down the sentence on Monday: Edwards received an EC$270 fine for the attempted exportation charge, and an additional EC$500 fine for possession of cannabis with intent to traffic. The magistrate ordered that both fines be paid immediately, with a default three-month prison sentence for non-payment. The charge of possession with intent to supply the drug was dismissed, with Edwards reprimanded and discharged on that count. The court also ordered the entire seized cannabis shipment to be destroyed.