October 16, 2013 at 2:25 p.m.
Pregnant drugs mule jailed
A pregnant Bajan drugs mule has been jailed for six month for importing cocaine into Bermuda.
Alphia Rawlins, 29, arrived in Bermuda from Toronto on June 25 at 3:40pm from Toronto on a commercial airplane.
Rawlins cleared immigration and was selected for a secondary inspection after she said she didn’t have anything to declare.
The defendant’s two pieces of checked luggage were searched and nothing was found.
Her carry-on bag, a small black suitcase, was scanned a gave a positive reading for cocaine.
The court heard the bag was then x-rayed and during an examination at 6:10pm that day, a senior customs officer found the bag had a false bottom and contained a plastic bag with an off-white substance.
Rawlins was arrested and taken to the Airport Police Station. She was taken to the King Edward VII Memorial Hospital for a medical evaluation where it was determined she was pregnant.
On June 27, Rawlins was interviewed in front of her lawyer and gave a no comment interview. She was then detained before appearing in court.
Crown counsel Cindy Clarke told the court the amount of cocaine seized was 536.5 grams, which could be sold on the streets in Bermuda for between $57,000 to $129,000 depending on how it is packaged.
Marc Daniels, mitigating for Rawlins, requested pre-sentencing reports but Senior Magistrate Archibald Warner thought they weren’t needed.
Sentencing Rawlins, Mr Warner said; “In all the circumstances including the defendant's personal circumstance, in particular that the defendant is pregnant and is due to deliver soon and the associated costs with the situation, the appropriate sentence is six months imprisonment from the 25th of June.
“Secondly, it is recommended that the defendant be deported as soon as practical.”
It is unclear when Rawlins is due to give birth, but Mr Daniels said it could be next month.
*A court cannot order the deportation of a defendant but can recommend to the Governor that a defendant be deported. Ultimately, the decision lies with the Governor.
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