TEARS flowed down the cheeks of 37-year-old Natasha Blair on Thursday after she was sentenced to three years in prison for drug trafficking after being busted at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport, Timehri.

The cosmetologist of Grove Housing Scheme, East Bank Demerara admitted to the Chief Magistrate that on July 2, 2018 at CJIA she trafficked 532 grams of cocaine.
CANU prosecutor, Konyo Sandiford told the court that on CARICOM Day (July 2), Blair was an outgoing passenger on a Caribbean Airliner plane destined for JFK International Airport.

Sandiford noted that the woman was approached by CANU officers after they suspected that she was a drug mule. At the time the woman was traveling with her 11-month- old daughter.

Blair was taken to the Georgetown Public Hospital and submitted to an X-Ray examination which showed foreign object in her stomach and pelvic area. She was given laxatives and she excreted 32 cocaine pellets which amounted to 322 grams and 210 grams taken from her vaginal area.
Under caution from the Police, Blair told ranks that she smuggled the drugs because she needed money for herself and her child.

In court the woman broke down in tears as she begged her family for forgiveness and said she was sorry for what she has done.
Her attorney, Keoma Griffith, during his plea for mitigation told the court that the client was a single parent who made a difficult decision with unfortunate risks.

The Chief Magistrate after considering Blair’s early guilty plea and the mitigation made by her attorney sentenced the woman to three years in prison along with $1.1M fine.

After hearing her sentence, Blair composed herself and wiped her eyes as she walked back to the Prisoners’ Outpost to await transportation to Prison to start severing her time.