U.S. Residents Jailed For Importing Cocaine
Two visitors from New York were sentenced to six years in jail this morning [July 23] after being convicted of importing cocaine.
Tasha Plummer, 34, and Collin Moodie, 40, each received a six year jail sentence for possessing cocaine with intent to supply. The pair were arrested at the Bermuda airport in May 2013 and have been in custody since then.
The search of Ms Plummer was completed at the KEMH where she removed a condom containing over 200 grams of cocaine from inside her body.
Mr Moodie was also in possession of over 200 grams of cocaine. The combined value of the drugs was said to be over $124,000.
In statements from the prisoner’s enclosure, each apologized for their actions, with both of them crying and wiping their faces with tissues.
Ms Plummer said she is the mother of three children aged from 7 – 12 and that she had recently lost her house and all her possessions. Mr Moodie said that he had three children of his own, and was looking after his deceased brother’s five children.
Noting that the maximum sentence was ten years, Senior Magistrate Archie Warner said that this was a “sophisticated and callous” attempt to bring drugs into Bermuda.
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Send ‘em back and don’t let them back in…
No point in wasting tax payer’s funds on these dummies…
No point in sending them home. This would set a precedant and others would follow knowing that the punishment would be getting sent back. No matter how good the authorities are at searching and seizing drugs, they cannot catch them all, and we would be flooded with illegal drugs. Incarceration is the only deterent to drug smugglers.
Bermuda is already flooded with illegal drugs thanks to the prohibition laws here. Prohibition turns paupers into prospers overnight. Its a circle that benefits way more than those on the outlaw side. Police, lawyers, judges, prison officers & many more make good off of prohibition while society suffers on a whole.
Some are missing the point.
Children.
Loosing houses.
Get away from the problems.
Bermuda.
6 years of recreation, no taxes, et al.
Some will get it.
Please jump off argus and do the world a favor.
Had they been to Bermuda before? Do they know people here? Were they selling it themselves? Or were they bringing it in to supply for someone?
Just wondering…
You cant sell 124K in drugs while on vacation? And you certainly can’t buy this much coke if you just lost your house and possessions or if you are taking care of 5 kids. So the question is, now that we caught the mules, who were they working for?
Great thought! They must have had a seller/buyer at hand. Bermuda needs to make a deal with Mexico to house her prisoners.
If they wanted us to know they would have mentioned it. On the other hand is that really important. Because the Boss never get charged just the mules who decide to make the run for the offer. So your answer is if they would have mention this information then they will not be serving all this time.
Just Guessing!!!
My question is when this type of people do there time a go home, are they put on a stop list like bermudians are put on??if they want to come back on a vacation??
A Bermudian customs stop list??
Bermudian customs doesn’t stop anyone but contraband importers. You can be a murderer, pedophile, illegal immigrant, etc. they don’t bother finding out who you are as long as you don’t have contraband. Oh Yea! Also as long as you don’t lie about your declaration of purchases.
I’m sure they’d hurry right back.
I don’t think we have an official stop list but their name and passports can be “flagged” if they ever come back. Anyone can be denied entry and they will be searched. BUT who would want too come back to the country they were incarcerated in!? I get your point though. STOP them, just in case!
jus throwing these urchins in prison doesn’t deter more urchins from tryna stunt. 6yrs if you tell who yur meeting, otherwise 10 yrs of hard labor. or jus let them deliver the trash and then sweep a bunch of local urchins
Its a deterrent for some – like me! I don’t want to spend time in any jail! However, if I was desperate and about to lose my house , possessions and family because I didn’t have a job or money and someone was going to pay me a few $s to import drugs or weapons into a country that I know would just send me home if I caught – as stupid as it sounds, if I was desperate I might just consider it.
Think about it, truthfully most people that are stupid or desperate enough to do it, do so because they think they wont get caught, or they are told that customs have been paid off. If they also knew that all we do is send you home, then where is the deterrent!
Although on the bright side , “tourism” figures would likely rise.
What if they were just ‘decoys’, creating a ‘distraction’ while the ‘big’ package walked in a few steps behind them…..
Definitely possible, but I don’t think they would need to sacrifice as much to tip off and distract officers to allow a larger shipment to go thru.
We know they were only the mules!
Make them talk and get the real Bermudians that are behind this sick enterprise. Make an offer they cant refuse for information leading to the arrest of the ringleaders or their messengers.
Yup , I say we will send you home, after 1 year if you give up some information that leads to prosecution!
Sorry but do you really, really believe the “Boss/Big Fish Bermudians (or non Bermudians)” use their real names and contact information when they are recruiting the mules?
As it has happened dozens and dozens of times, their instructions are really very simple. 1) Smuggle in the drugs. 2) They are told where to go in Bermuda and wait. 3) They will be met and the drug exchange takes place. No names required.
Not rocket science.
Exactly!
Back in the day police would make sure this bust didn’t leak to the media until they got the smugglers to meet the contact & then swoop in & make a bigger arrest. I remember one of the major OGs going down this way when they met up in a room in the old St. Geos hotel.
BDA needs a “plea bargaining” system like in the States… You give us (prosecutor) valuable information to help catch the “bad guys” and we *cut* your charges and you do considerably less prison time!!!
It seems to work very well in the States – but then again they face some serious Prison time when it comes to sentences!!
Plea bargains are made in Bermuda but usually make things worse especially when more than one person is charged. They always boil down to who has the best lawyer not who is the bigger criminal. Many plea bargains here are to make one criminal the scapegoat for the rest & they get charged while the rest walk. Another bargain that happens here is when one charged is of adult age & the other is not so the younger agrees to take the rap for the adult giving both a chance at minimum sentences since the adult is charged as an accomplice while the minor is charged with the crime & taken to coed instead of westgate. I would venture to guess this same thing happens a lot in the U.S. in which case does not work. Many trials become auctions because of bargaining.
NO DEALS! Hard time for all who dare to sully your beautiful island and way of life. Hard time BUT NOT IN BDA. Get a contract from some God-forsaken country to house these felons.
The combined value of the drugs was said to be over $124,000? The tax payers will pay approx. $80k a year per person to house, feed, etc…Time 6 Years!!! No, you do the math.
A smart person/organization would have used the mules to continue their purpose and set up a sting operation at the pick up point. Then, send them back from where they came from with nothing but their freedom for following the program.
This was no sophisticated attempt at bringing in drugs;she had them in her vagina..not very sophisticated……..