Woman fined $8.2M for cocaine trafficking

By Leroy Smith

A 21-year old mother of two young children who pleaded guilty to trafficking in cocaine on Monday was this morning ordered to pay a fine of $8.2M and sentenced to four years in prison.

Angelica Forde appeared before Magistrate Bibi Zameena-Ali at the Sparendaam Magistrate’s Court. The mother of two was represented by Attorney-at-Law, Mark Conway.

Forde was caught on June 15, 2016 by agents of the Customs Anti Narcotics Unit (CANU) at the Eugene F. Correia Airport at Ogle, East Coast Demerara. She was an outgoing passenger on her way to Barbados and then to the United States.

The CANU prosecutor told the court that an anti-drug agent saw the woman’s apparel fitting her in an unusual manner. She was searched and it was found that there was there were some packets containing a white substance suspected to be cocaine strapped to her body.

Her husband was on Monday, remanded to prison until July 25, 2016 for inciting his wife between June, 1 and 15, 2016 to traffick in 3.4 kilogrammes of cocaine, valued at GYD $8.280 million.