Couple offered bail for cocaine in Tastee patty box

A BRITISH woman and her Jamaican spouse who were arrested after the woman allegedly tried to smuggle two and a half pounds of cocaine through the Sangster International Airport in a Tastee patty box on May 10 were each offered $2 million bail in court on Friday.

Kay-Ann Anderson, a 46-yearold manager of London, England, and Lekan Olamida, a 48-yearold farmer of Bellefield district in Manchester, pleaded not guilty to the charges of possession of, dealing in, attempting to export, and conspiracy to export cocaine when they made their first appearance in the St James Parish Court on Friday.

During the couple’s bail applications before presiding judge Sasha-Marie Ashley, defence attorney Tom Tavares Finson noted that Olamida had cooperated with the authorities.

“In relation to Mr Olamida, he is a farmer and has no previous convictions, and he will appear for his trial,” Tavares Finson said during the brief bail application.

In response to the prosecution’s concerns about Anderson potentially leaving the country, the court was told that Anderson’s travel documents were already in the custody of the police. It was also disclosed that the forensic certificate and scene-of-crime statement, along with other documents, were outstanding from the case file.

Ashley subsequently offered bail to Anderson and Olamida in the sum of $2 million each, with $1 million of the respective sums to be paid as cash bonds, and ordered them to submit their fingerprints to the police.

Anderson was also ordered to report to the police four times weekly, while Olamida was instructed to report three times weekly. Both defendants were ordered to surrender their travel documents and stop orders were issued for them at all ports. The case will be mentioned on July 14.

Allegations are that, on May 10, Anderson checked in at the Sangster International Airport in Montego Bay, St James to board a flight to Birmingham, England.

While going through the airport’s security checkpoint, she was stopped and searched and a Tastee patty box was found in her carry-on luggage. The box was opened and found to contain a white substance resembling cocaine, valued at $7.72 million.

During a subsequent interview with the police, Anderson identified Olamida as the person from whom she had received the contraband, following which she was arrested and charged. The police later located Olamida at his home in Manchester and, under caution, he said, “No comment.”

He was then arrested and charged.