Wig drugs women jailed in Jamaica

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Two women have begun a year-long prison sentence in Jamaica after trying to smuggle cocaine out of the country in wigs they were wearing.

Tanisha Samuel, 20 and Shereen Mariah Hardy, 18, both of Derby, were detained after a random spot check at Sangster International Airport on Sunday.

The pair pleaded guilty to charges of possession, dealing and exporting cocaine before Montego Bay magistrates.

They were also ordered to pay a £2,000 fine or serve a further six months.

The women told police they were offered a combined £4,000 fee to transport the drugs from Jamaica to Gatwick.

Sentencing the women, Judge Winsome Henry, said: "This is a very serious offence but because of your age and because you have no previous convictions, I am going to be lenient."

Money troubles

HM Revenue and Customs said the drugs, weighing about 2.3kg (5lbs) and with a value of about £170,000, were apparently found stitched into the long, dark-haired wigs they were both wearing.

The two women had been on holiday in Jamaica for two weeks before their arrest, a customs spokeswoman said.

Hardy told the court she smuggled the drugs because she was facing financial problems.

"I live on my own and have been mixed up with bad company," she said.

The arrests came about as part of Operation Airbridge, a joint UK-Jamaican collaboration to catch drugs couriers - known as "mules" - before they board planes from Jamaica.

HMRC spokesman Bob Gaiger said: "Anyone attempting to smuggle drugs from Jamaica like this shouldn't be so naive to think that they can get away with it.

"If convicted, they will be jailed and serve out their term in a prison in Jamaica."