Briton allegedly held with cocaine gets new court date

WESTERN BUREAU:

BRITISH NATIONAL Rachael Quayle, who was arrested on August 21 after she was allegedly caught trying to smuggle cocaine valued at $45 million inside assorted food items, had her bail extended to November 20 when she appeared in the St James Parish Court on Wednesday.

During her brief court appearance before presiding parish judge Natiesha Fairclough-Hylton, the court was told that the forensic certificate in Quayle’s case was incomplete. The court was also told that the defendant’s lawyer, Precilla Jennings, could not attend the sitting as she was engaged in another matter in Kingston.

As a result of the information she was provided with, Judge Fairclough-Hylton set the matter for mention on November 20 and extended Quayle’s bail to that date.

“Ms Quayle, this matter is set for case management on 20 November, 2024, which is when you will come back to court in this matter. On that day, we expect that the forensic certificate will be ready so that we can set a trial date in your matter,” Fairclough-Hylton told Quayle before allowing her to leave the courtroom.

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The allegations against Quayle are that on August 21, she checked in at the Sangster International Airport, in Montego Bay, and was preparing to board a flight to the United Kingdom, when her luggage was searched.

During the inspection, several food items in Quayle’s luggage were searched and found to contain cocaine weighing 21 pounds. She claimed that she was given the items and did not think anything was amiss as the packages were sealed. She was subsequently arrested and charged.

Quayle is one of 27 foreign nationals arrested between January and September this year for breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act. That number, which was revealed by the Jamaica Constabulary Force, includes several visitors from the United Kingdom.

In one of the more recent cases to come before the St James Parish Court, British nationals Teraiya Stapleton and Genevieve Sanoussi were allegedly held at the Sangster International Airport on October 20 with more than five pounds of cocaine hidden inside several pairs of footwear. They are to return to court on December 18.

Cocaine cases involving both foreigners and locals have featured prominently in the St James Parish Court over the years, to the extent that concerns have been raised about St James becoming a flashpoint for drug trafficking. In May 2023 alone, eight defendants, seven of whom were British nationals, were brought before the court in relation to a combined $100 million worth of cocaine.