Drugs: Regiment Soldier In Jamaican Court
19-year-old Bermuda Regiment Private Jordan Shabazz was left behind in Jamaica to face a Jamaican Magistrate and answer to charges of possessing and attempting to export approximately 680 grams of cannabis [1.5lbs].
The Regiment charter jet left Montego Bay’s Sangster Airport on Saturday 12th May, with the soldiers returning to Bermuda later that afternoon, and Pte Shabazz faced the local Magistrate on Monday 14th May.
The Regiment had been in Jamaica since 29th April and the end-of-exercise leave period saw the soldiers taking their short leave in the tourist area of Montego Bay.
Pte Shabazz was fined $9,000 Jamaican dollars — equivalent to approximately $103 Bermuda dollars — and will be personally responsible for any additional costs incurred by the method of his return to Bermuda.
Speaking last week, a Regiment spokesperson said: “In order to ensure the recovery of the equipment and baggage to Bermuda goes as safely as possible all personal items are thoroughly searched and examined. Setting the example, the senior officers are the first to have their bags checked – in full view of the Privates.
“The Regimental Sergeant Major Gavin Rayner then nominates certain personnel to become baggage checkers, including a member of the Bermuda Police Service detached to the Regiment for the duration of the Camp.
“The process is simple: every soldier empties everything out of their bergan onto the floor, the bag is checked, and then every item is cleared – one piece at a time.
“Once that is done, the bags are placed in a sealed and locked container which won’t be opened again until in the presence of Bermuda Customs and Police personnel including “sniffer” dogs.”
Read More About
Category: All, Court Reports, Crime, News
All he ever wanted to do is make momma proud .Well he could always sell bean pie’s for a living .
Wow, $9000! Bermuda needs laws like that!
we will do if the PLP keep doing their part in killing the economy!!
9,000 Jamaica is only 103 Bermuda dollars.
Yup! In Bermuda he would have gotten a $20,000 fine & 15 years in prison for 1.5lbs. He’s lucky he was caught there & not here depending on if he will get an additional punishment here.
Thought I was the only one who caught that. Funny how I’d get 5x that in Bermuda for wearing my earphones under my helmet
This happens everytime they go to yard. One igorant ass tries to bring some smoke back. I heard rumours that back in de day support company used to bring back crap loads of unchecked contraband in their weapons boxes!!!!
No wonder all these Jamaican rift rafts are here living with these dumb ars Bermuda girls. Running from JA…. CAN’T STAND THE BAZZERDS and they are here trying to take over. Go back home and make 50,000 a month, LOL
Marcus Garvey had the right idea … Repatriation . It is only natural for a man to want to take his Wife home with him and not the other way around . Regardless of his ability to make a living there .
Tee, you represent a large number of Bermudians who feel this way.
Agree. Trying to take over alright.
Was this comment really necessary, you racist piece of $hit. Stick with the subject
Bigotry at its best from “Tee”. Obviously you choose to ingnore the story and bash and put down a entire set of people. Why did you not call for people like Mr Victor Scott or Mr George DaCosta to be sent home just to name a few from the place and people you so despise.
Yes and add Dr. Gordon to that list as well.
silly boy!
1.5lbs daaang! This guy must have lost his mind or not had one to begin with. No need for sniffer dogs as the whole regiment must have been able to smell his stash. I can just imagine all the soldiers looks right now during the search trying hard not to look in this guys direction. It must have been like some horror movie where everyone knows what’s about to except the naive victim. So much for helping a fellow comrade out. Someone should have told him whatever they smell was a really bad idea. Even with such a low fine it was probably much more then what he bought the weed for & to be locked in a Jamaican jail for even a few days must be hell.
if you wasn’t there don’t try speculate. You don’t know what part of the trip he was caught or if any other people were around
“if you wasn’t there”
lol go back to school.
There’s no need to speculate when he was caught since the report states he was charged with attempting to export. He wouldn’t be charged with this if he was caught with it while trodding through the jungle or chilling in the hotel room in Montego. Another thing is there is no way he would have had that much ganja on him without another soldier knowing. He & other soldiers most likely smoked a bit of it before he packed it away. I don’t need to have been there because I have been there & I know that from the time the soldiers arrive till when they are on R&R there are people approaching them with trash bags full of it even while JDF is around. Best thing to do if someone wants to partake is grab a handful & leave the rest in the trash bag & pay for that then enjoy while there but take none back. I’m not blaming the other soldiers because by that age your grown enough to know better but the ones that knew should of IF they didn’t have talked him out of it. No weed is nice enough to get busted for especially low grade Jamaican bush.
Dumbass. Smoke yourself silly there, why attempt to import it knowing there are repurcussions?
another of our young men taken down the wrong path wanting to be apart of the wrong crowd
It was JUST WEED! So what! Bermudians have done much worse! Leave this guy alone! I go to Jamaica 4 times EVERY year for the last 12 years and Jamaican police are some of the MOST CORRUPT POLICE IN THE WORLD! EVEN JAMAICAN’s DON’t TRUST THEM! They KILL ,THEY ROB, THEY EXPLOIT and some of them are even in gangs! All you have to do if you ever find yourself in a jam with a cop in Jamaica or get pulled over while on vacation there is to just have about $200 US dollars (NOT JAMAICAN DOLLARS CAUSE THEY DON’T WANT THAT THEY WOULD LOOK AT YOU LIKE YOUR CRAZY IF YOU TRIED TO GIVE THEM JAMAICAN DOLLARS) and EVERYTHING IS FORGOTTEN ABOUT ON THE SPOT! BEEN THERE DONE THAT MORE THAN 5 times! OH and when they find out that you are a BERMUDIAN they feel like they just hit the jackpot because they KNOW that you have money and try to up the price! So he probably paid his $103 fine and another cop went right behind him and took that same weed back out onto the streets of Jamaica and sold it! That’s how it is down there! They are MONEY HUNGRY! That’s the mentality of NOT ALL JAMAICAN’s BUT A LARGE MAJORITY OF JAMAICAN’s HAVE! IF U DON’t BELIEVE ME PLEASE GO THERE AND I PROMISE YOU WILL SEE FIRST HAND! $103 dollars aint NOTHING I HAVE SNEAKERS THAT COST MORE THAN THAT!
I have bottles of wine that cost twice that and more!
1.5lbs. I guess he was tired of buying $50.00 spliffs back home and found him a bargain to last him through the summer… Or better still, make a little $change$ off of his boys…