SINGLE mother of one, Althea Timmerman, 24 years, of 1255 Canefield, West Ruimveldt, Georgetown, who admitted trafficking in cocaine at Ogle International Airport was jailed for three years yesterday by Chief Magistrate, Priya Sewnarine-Beharry.

Timmerman who is a hotel receptionist pleaded guilty to the charge which stated that on Saturday, January 10 at Ogle International Airport, East Coast Demerara, she had 1.134 grams of cocaine in her possession for the purpose of trafficking.
Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) prosecutor Oswald Massiah told the court that the mother of one, while at Demico, came to know a man of mixed race and a relationship developed. The man asked her if she was prepared to take the illegal substance to Barbados and she consented. On January 9, she was contacted by the said male so that she can collect a suitcase containing the drug but she did not know where in the suitcase it was hidden.
She took the said suitcase and packed her personal travelling belongings inside. The following day, January 10, she went to the Ogle Airport with the said suitcase in an attempt to board a flight for Barbados. An undisclosed fee was promised to her after the trip was completed but this never materialised.
The CANU prosecutor said that as Timmerman was proceeding through the scanner, CANU ranks conducted a search on her suitcase and unearthed the illicit drug, and the defendant was subsequently arrested.
The tearful defendant told the court that she is a single mother of a five-year-old daughter and begged the magistrate to be merciful in her ruling. Timmerman was slapped with a sentence of three years’ imprisonment along with a fine of $30,000.