HASLYN O’NEAL Thom, 46, was sentenced to three years jail and fined $4.1M after admitting to trafficking over three pounds of cocaine in his suitcase.

The construction worker appeared before Chief Magistrate Ann McLennan on Tuesday at the Georgetown Magistrate’s Court, where it was revealed that on January 14, 2017 at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA), he had 1.54 kilograms cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) Prosecutor, Kunyo Sandiford told the court that on January 14 about 13:58h, Thom was an outgoing passenger on a Dynamic Airlines flight, destined for New York.

Thom went to the airport check-in counter and tagged his suitcase and proceeded to the scanner, where he placed his carry-on suitcase. A CANU officer stationed at the airport noticed two suspicious objects immediately on the screen and then approached Thom.

The officer asked Thom if the contents inside the suitcase were his and whether he packed it himself. He responded in the affirmative and was taken into a search booth at the airport, along with the suitcase.

The suitcase was emptied in Thom’s presence and a small incision was made into the walls of the luggage when a whitish substance was observed. A field test was done on the substance which disclosed that it was cocaine. Two packets of cocaine were pulled out from walls of the suitcase.

The man was taken to CANU headquarters where he confessed to an officer that he bought the drug for $US4,000.  Thom was represented by attorney George Thomas and told the court that he has a medical condition which requires surgery.

Additionally, the Attorney begged the Magistrate to impose a lenient sentence on his client since Thom didn’t waste the court’s time.