Rachael Quayle, the British woman who was allegedly held with $45 million worth of cocaine inside assorted food items at Montego Bay’s Sangster International Airport last August, will go on trial in the St James Parish Court on March 25, having settled her legal representation.
Quayle, who is charged with possession of, dealing in, and attempting to export cocaine, was given the new date and had her bail extended when she appeared before presiding parish judge Kaysha Grant-Pryce on Monday.
During Quayle’s latest court proceedings, attorney-at-law Henry McCurdy disclosed that she had approached him to represent her, replacing her former lawyer, Precilla Jennings. Quayle had previously indicated her intention to secure McCurdy’s services when she last appeared in court for trial on January 15.
“I have been approached, but there is no ‘fertiliser’ on the ground,” quipped McCurdy, referring to Quayle’s need to complete her arrangements with him.
Grant-Pryce subsequently set Quayle’s matter for trial on March 25, to allow the defendant sufficient time to settle her legal representation.
The allegations against Quayle are that, on August 21, 2024, she checked in at the Sangster International Airport and was preparing to board a flight to the United Kingdom (UK) when her luggage was searched. During the inspection, several food items in Quayle’s luggage were searched and found to contain cocaine.
When questioned, Quayle said she was given the items and did not think anything was wrong because the packages were sealed. She was subsequently arrested and charged with breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act.
Notably, despite previous reports suggesting that the cocaine weighed 21 pounds, the court was told on January 15 that the forensic certificate in relation to the case gave the weight as 17 pounds.
Quayle is one of 27 foreign nationals who were arrested at the airport between January and September 2024 for breaches of the Dangerous Drugs Act. That number, which was revealed by the Jamaica Constabulary Force, included mostly visitors from the UK, several of whom have since been sentenced to pay various fines and serve terms of imprisonment.Cocaine cases involving both foreigners and locals have featured prominently on the St James Parish Court’s list of cases over the years, to the extent that concerns have been raised about St James becoming a focal point for drug trafficking. In May 2023 alone, eight defendants, seven of whom were British nationals, were brought before the St James court in relation to a combined $100 million worth of cocaine.
https://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20250121/british-womans-cocaine-trial-rescheduled-march-25
