Commentary: Carrying Cocaine on a Plane

by Christine Nice

Today (June 14th, 2017) at the St.John’s court, a young Antiguan National of Dominican Republic heritage is being charged with the transportation and intent to distribute Marijuana.
At the John Fitzgerald Kennedy (JFK) Airport in New York, a 33-year old St Lucian National has been arrested for concealing bricks of compressed Cocaine in the seat of a wheelchair.

You have most probably been offered to transport drugs once or twice in your lifetime, and most likely you have declined. Why did you decline? Were you not sufficiently seduced by the drug lord? Everyone has a price. Did he not reach your price?

Why you Will get caught
The Customs officials found the back seat of the St Lucian lady's Wheelchair odd looking. He decided to assist her. In assisting her, Ms Yoncela Stanley seemed nervous. That is when the drug detection dogs were sent for. These dogs are trained to sniff out certain drugs. They are usually set loose among the passengers. Do you know that dogs can smell up to a thousand times more easily than a human can? They can even distinguish between substances. They know when a drug is masked by another compound.

Cocaine discovered at JFK Airport
Concealed in lieu of the wheelchair's padding

There are also many incidents where several drug lords give different mules the merchandise to carry. A precautionary measure based on the epitome of not putting all of your eggs in one basket. The mule which carries less merchandise will be the one who will get caught. Someone will rat him out, the focus will be on this one person. A perfect distraction while all the other mules will be cleared through customs. This would not be a coincidence, it is demised this way. Was that what happened in the case of the Antiguan/Santo-Domingo boy? Is the Antiguan Police celebrating this marijuana bust, while the Cocaine smugglers walked out of the airport undisturbed?

There are also cases of people who get caught because they travel too often. One Customs officer said he found it strange that in a time of crisis, a young woman would travel to Venezuela for a week. “She was not carrying any illegal substance, but she was profiled as a possible drug mule, and we are awaiting her return.”
Besides obvious giveaway, like nervousness and suspicious answers to certain questions, Customs and Law Enforcement Officers who are trained to detect mules discern trends of drug traffickers, for example, does too young to travel so frequently.

Prison Cell

Son of the Late Prime Minister VC Bird
Ivor Bird, Caught smuggling Cocaine into Antigua

Do you remember when the late Prime Minister of Antigua Vere Cornwall Bird’s son Ivor was caught smuggling drugs into the country? He hid over 10 Kilogrammes of Cocaine inside a watermelon, travelling from Florida. With daddy being the Prime Minister and having a diplomatic passport, he thought that he would not be searched. Well, he was. He was placed into prison. V C Bird had to set an example, that he is against drugs at all cost, whether or not the perpetrator is his father or his son. However, was Ivor Bird treated like a prisoner? He had a big screen television set in his prison cell. There were plush carpets, air-conditioning, telephone and a jacuzzi was installed. His meals were ordered and delivered daily from the restaurants of 5 star hotels to the prison.

Most of us refuse to carry cocaine because we like our freedom to drink alcohol, go home to our mates and liming during carnival or clubbing. We do not find the bondage of a prison cell enticing. One Antiguan man in an overcrowded prison cell in St. John’s went into detail, “The prison is overcrowded. There is 6 of us in one cell. And there is only one pail (bucket). At night if you want to shit, you better make certain that you shit first because if someone else shit before you, you have to shit on top of his shit. The pail only gets emptied in the morning.”

Marijuana discovered hidden inside
Electric Water Heaters at VC Bird International Airport.

But this young boy from Santo Domingo who will be imprisoned is ambitious. He saw an opportunity which could have made him some good money and given him a solid foundation in life, but he was caught at the Airport. His plan was ingenious. Now he will take up residence in Her majesty’s Prison and will soon learn with his handsome Spanish looks that it is better to choose one male sexual partner than to be everyone’s bitch. At least this male can protect him from the other men, (not because he is gay which he certainly is not) but it's the way to survive. Sneaking marijuana into the island concealed in electric water heaters. The creativity of drug dealers are marvellous, however, the trained Law enforcement officers make it a point of duty to excel in their jobs.