Woman jailed, fined $16.7M for cocaine in biscuit wrappers

Months after she was charged, 59-year-old Unique Sunshine London was on Friday sentenced to four years in prison and fined $16.7M after she was found guilty of attempting to smuggle a quantity of cocaine through the Cheddi Jagan International Airport (CJIA).

The sentence was handed down by Magistrate Sunil Scarce at the Diamond Magistrate’s Court following the completion of a trial.

London of Haslington, East Coast Demerara, was arrested by ranks of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU) on September 14, 2022, after she was found with 11.188 kilogrammes of cocaine in her possession.

She attempted to smuggle the cocaine, which was concealed in biscuit wrappers in her carry-on luggage, while an outgoing passenger at CJIA.

In a statement, CANU had said the cocaine would have been worth $12.3 million but once landed in the United States, the street value would have been US$336,000.