OTTAWA: Andrea Paula Winfield, a Plaisance woman who had been intercepted while trying to smuggle just over five pounds of cocaine aboard a flight to Canada, was yesterday sentenced to three years in jail after she was found guilty of the crime.
Winfield was also fined $3.8 million for the offence, which was committed at the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA) in late 2016.
The charge against Winfield, of Lot 12 Prince William Street, Plaisance, East Coast Demerara, had stated that on December 16th, 2016, at the CJIA, she had in her possession 2.548 kilogrammes of cocaine (equivalent to 5.6 pounds), for the purpose of trafficking.
According to the prosecutor’s case, Winfield was an outgoing passenger at the CJIA. It was noted that a Customs Officer had asked her for the Canadian address she was visiting and she failed to answer the question. The customs officer became suspicious and proceeded to check her luggage, where the cocaine was found and Winfield was arrested. Winfield was found guilty at the conclusion of her trial by Magistrate Annette Singh, who handed down the sentence and fine in Georgetown yesterday.
