Boat captain hit with $2m fine in ganja case: co-accused absconds bail Loop Jamaica

Black Immigrant Daily News

A boat captain, Richard Lindo, who was held in September last year off the coast of Manchester with 1,680 pounds of ganja aboard his vessel, was this week fined more than $2 million when he appeared in the Manchester Parish Court.

His co-accused, Lloyd Bennett and Kayega James absconded bail.

The three men were arrested and charged after the vessel they were traveling in was intercepted by the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard on September 21, 2021, and the ganja was found in 38 knitted bags.

A year later in September 2022, Lindo pleaded guilty to possession of, dealing in, and trafficking ganja.

He was fined $1 million or two years imprisonment for dealing in ganja, $1 million or two years for trafficking ganja, and $15,000 or six months for possession of ganja.

The person who stood for Bennett when he was granted bail was taken into custody on Wednesday.

Bennett’s attorney told the court that he had left the island and is in custody in the Cayman Islands. The surety was offered bail in the sum of $500,000 and is to return to court on December 9.

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